Case Studies

"The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland have been working with Include Youth to ‘bridge the gap’ between young people and employers in Northern Ireland.

Our aim has been to increase access to employment for young people by raising employer awareness and working with employers to promote employment opportunities for marginalised groups.

We have facilitated a number of employability seminars over the last two years which have been attended by many public and private sector employers. Staff from Include Youth were happy to contribute to these sessions and feedback has been very positive from all in attendance, resulting in a number of placements and job opportunities being filled by young people from the Give and Take Scheme.

The Commission would encourage all employers to support the work of Include Youth and enable young people to develop their skills to achieve employment."

“I left school when I was 16 years old with no qualifications. I went to college but found it hard to concentrate and ended up leaving. I went on different courses and discovered that I worked better in small groups, so started to get some qualifications.

“I did some part-time work- mostly twelve hour days- and was told on Christmas Eve that the extra staff, that had been brought in to cover the Christmas rush, were no longer needed and that this would be our last day.

“From then I decided I wanted a job where I was guaranteed work and would be happy; but I was worried about finding something I would enjoy. I met the Western Health and Social Care Trust/ Include Youth Employability Worker and was really interested in the placement and training options being offered.

“I had never worked in administration but I liked the sound of the work that I would be doing. I started my placement within the Trust two months ago and was very nervous as I hadn’t worked in several months.

“I am able to use skills I had from before and picked things up really easy. I have a great mentor who takes the time to show me how to do new tasks. The placement lasts a year and I’m getting training alongside it so that at the end of the year I can apply for the type of job I’ll be happy in. I’m even considering doing more training after.

“I’m more happy and confident in myself. I’ve met some great people who are always encouraging and just treat me like another member of the team. Now I have plans for the future. I never thought I’d be this happy!”

*real name has been changed to protect identity

Homebase is committed to serving the local community and supporting people in enhancing their skills to secure employment. Homebase has built up a good working relationship with the Equality Commission over the years and this has opened up opportunities to provide work tasters and work placements across all nine stores in Northern Ireland.

Following an Equality Commission ‘Bridge the Gap’ Seminar in November 2009, Homebase made contact with Jacinta at Include Youth and this has led to a great partnership and a series of work placements across various stores.

Lynsey Gardiner, Human Resources Business Partner, Homebase NI, says:

“The concept of work tasters and work placements have been received positively across all of our stores and we truly see this as a great way to support people in gaining work experience in a retail environment and also to welcome people back into the workplace and provide a platform for them to learn new skills and enhance existing skills.”

*real name has been changed to protect identity

“The change in Steven* since he started his work placement in Homebase has been fantastic.

“His confidence has soared and he gets a lot out of going there.

“Steven works in the warehouse and has stated to me that he just feels like one of the team, and to him this is really important. Steven is so proud to wear his Homebase uniform, and when I visit him he is always busy- so much so that he blames me for holding him back from his work!

“The staff at Homebase have been really supportive of Steven and are great at encouraging him to learn as well as challenging him to try new things.

“Steven is on a little break from Homebase at the moment and this flexibility has been a really positive thing. Due to personal issues he requested a temporary break so that he would not 'mess up his placement'.
“Steven is sure that when he gets other things in his life sorted he is looking forward to going back to placement in Homebase, and this has been made possible because of the support of the staff, in particular Bev."

*real name has been changed to protect identity

Steven* is 19 years of age and was referred to Social Services when he was 12 due to concerns about home life. Prior to coming into care he was subjected to significant trauma, loss, rejection and multiple moves and his experiences, which included: death of his father; witness to serious physical violence; multiple house and school moves followed by another 20 different accommodations between ages 12 -19; difficult and volatile relationship with his step father; and his mother and siblings leaving Northern Ireland.

When Steven was referred to the Give and Take Scheme he had very low levels of essential skills. Due to negative school experiences and very low self esteem, he wanted to begin with one to one support rather than group work.

As Steven’s confidence grew he felt ready to participate in other components of Give and Take Scheme and began to prepare for work experience. He has since successfully completed six weeks of work experience in Homebase.

Steven says:

"Homebase has been good. I like getting the experience of the work, and I have good craic with the staff.

“I was a bit wary of the job to begin with, but David showed me the ropes and now I know what to do, so when I go into work I can just get on with it. “They have been good at teaching me new things and made me feel like part of the team. So far I've enjoyed the experience.

*real name has been changed to protect identity

“This has been the missing link in what the Trust can offer for our young people. Offering support is one thing, but giving someone an opportunity where they can help themselves and that will act as a stepping stone to other things is amazing.”

*real name has been changed to protect identity

“He adds and contributes so much. Whenever he goes into people’s houses he addresses everybody properly- Mr Mooney or Mrs Smith. He does everything with a smile on his face.

“When he first joined I was on two weeks leave, but returned to find he didn’t need to be told what to do! He just adds to the service we give because of the way he treats people.

“Of course there are challenges in the job. Whether it is the amount of deliveries, relying on two buses to be on time every morning, or working with people who may become difficult; Chris has done well because he communicates.

“He listens to what our patients and clients have to say. A lot of elderly people just want someone to talk with for few minutes and he does that.”

*real name has been changed to protect identity

“I was slightly apprehensive at first as I was worried that we had another young person in before and it did not work out for them at all; but we were prepared to give anyone a chance.

“However, Chris* is an asset to the team. It’s actually hard to believe he is on work placement. He sees things to be done and does it; there are things he just doesn’t need to be told.

“After completing his manual handling training and getting a security check, a big part of the job Chris now does involves going into people’s houses, who often may have been recently bereaved, to pick up the equipment that the elderly or sick person was using. It takes a certain person to work here, and not everyone can.

“If he was running late he would call and let me know. That’s what’s important for a manager, as these things happen to all of us.

“We really want him to stay; but know the best thing for Chris is permanent full time, paid work job. He deserves it.

“The Employability Service through Include Youth also trained up our staff as mentors for young people coming in, and this is good for helping people to settle in or for asking questions they wouldn’t want to ask a manager."

*real name has been changed to protect identity

Chris* is 19 years old and lives with his grandmother. Chris has struggled to hold down a job because of a lack of stability in his life; added to the difficulty of gaining employment in the current economic climate.

When Chris heard about the Employability Service he put his name forward for referral right away.

The opportunity to gain work experience and training within the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust appealed to Chris, as along with earning some extra money, he had a great chance to learn new skills.

The death of Chris’s best friend proved a difficult barrier for him to overcome; however two weeks later he began working with the estates department at Musgrave Park Hospital. His job was within the HALO team included: deliver, install, pick up, fix and decontaminate equipment for patients in need, all around Belfast.

Another young person was also placed within the department, who was overcoming a number of barriers while studying for an NVQ in Business Admin one day per week.

On his first day Chris was nervous but excited. He said:

“I am just happy to have a job to do here.”

Chris showed the team right away how he was able to learn, and work hard. He wanted to work full time and do the same shifts as current staff, five days per week. Despite having to take two buses there and back, Chris was there for 8.15am each morning and finished at 4pm.

Chris, two months into the job says:

“I enjoy everything about it. It’s a hard graft, but I love coming in and doing this. Compared to my last job it is way better. The lads even invited me to play football in my first week here. “Being able to work- even if it isn’t a full wage- and earning my own money is class, because I know the experience will stay with me and help with getting a full time job.”

*real name has been changed to protect identity

“The Western Health and Social Care Trust made a decision to engage placements through the Employability Services as a result of various departments having a busy workload within the Trust. “It was important to me that the young person enjoys their placement experience keep the mentoring relationship positive. Therefore I had some initial reservations and fears: How well would I and the young person work together? Could I provide enough work for her? Would I as her mentor be able to demonstrate clearly and correctly how all jobs and pieces of work are carried out?

“As a mentor I have received Include Youth’s ‘Make it Work’ accredited mentoring in the workplace training (OCN Level 1), which certainly builds up more confidence in being able to support others, as well as the young person on placement.

“Having the young person work alongside me introduces a new voice on some things and brings in new ideas. It is a process of learning together and helping to relax.

“There are various supports in place to assist the mentor and young person, namely the managers of each of the departments within the Western Trust, Employability Workers from Include Youth, social workers and personal assistants from the 16+ team and I would feel comfortable to contact any of them with any issues or problems which may or could arise.

“Finally, I would like to say that the decision to have a placement within our department is of a great benefit to both me and my manager. This young person has adapted excellently to the environment, has been of great assistance in the workload, has brought new ideas to the department and we hope she will stay with us to complete her NVQ qualification.”

A workplace mentor from the Western Health and Social Care Trust

“Before my work placement through the Employability Service, I completed the Give and Take Scheme (hyperlink to Give & Take Scheme page) with Include Youth. I loved it and was worried I’d never find anything I would enjoy as much, which would give me real opportunities when I finished.

“I met with Western Health and Social Care Trust/ Include Youth Employability Worker (hyperlink to employability team and we talked about the administration placement and training which I could do. It seems such a long time ago.

“I’m now on placement five days a week using all the skills and experience I had gained from the Give and Take Scheme and my various experiences of work.

“I hadn’t been in a job for a while and although I was tired at the start, I really enjoy the work and appreciate the opportunity.

“I know that the training and work experience will give me the chance I deserve to get a decent well paid job and not the temporary low wage jobs I had struggled to get before.

“This placement means a lot to me, it has given me the confidence to know I can achieve greater goals when I put my mind to it.

“I know there will be times when I will find this hard, but I also know that I have the support to help me when I need it.

“My work mentor has been a great support and is always encouraging and explains things really well. I feel part of the team.”

*real name has been changed to protect identity

“In regards to the placement for Peter* I can only describe it as fantastic.

“Peter may never have had another opportunity to get a placement in a busy professional office and to gain from a real work experience.

“The nature of the placement ensures that Peter is a part of a busy team and is actively participating and contributing to the team.

“The fact that Peter has a mentor also ensures that he is being further supported in the workplace.”

Peter's social worker, 16+ team, Western Health and Social Care Trust

*real name has been changed to protect identity

“Peter* is quiet and reliable and is keen to secure a position and direction in life. He joins in well with the team and is confident in his position.

“We also have another very pleasant and accommodating young person with us from the trust’s Employability Service, who feels at ease in company and meeting new people. I have also found him to be very helpful and willing to learn and assist where possible.

“Both members have integrated seamlessly within the department and are keen to learn new skills. I feel they are both worthy and valued members of Western Health and Social Care Trust’s Capital Development.”

Peter's workplace mentor from the Strategic Capital Development Team, Western Health and Social Care Trust

*real name has been changed to protect identity