Minister engages with programme achievers

22 May 2007

Employment and Learning Minister, Sir Reg Empey, today presented certificates to participants of the Engage programme.

The programme, which provided employability and life skills opportunities for homeless people, was funded by the European Social Fund under the Northern Ireland EQUAL Community Initiative and was developed by a partnership of 14 organisations led by the Simon Community.

The Minister paid tribute to the contribution made by the EQUAL Community Initiative Programme in piloting innovative ways of providing access to the labour market for disadvantaged groups in Northern Ireland. He said: “The activities of EQUAL underpin and complement the Department’s objective of developing and enhancing the employability skills of the people who access our services. Furthermore EQUAL and Development Partnerships such as Engage provide a very valuable way of testing innovative approaches to addressing the issue of inequality and improving access to the labour market.”

The Minister emphasised that the Department continues to move provision forward for key economically inactive groups, such as those who are ill or disabled, lone parents, older workers and the homeless, who wish to enter or return to work as soon as possible. He said: “The Department continues to test the development of more flexible and integrated frontline services focussing on identifying people’s specific needs more effectively. We are conscious of the need for targeted initiatives to help and support the economically inactive which can be effectively delivered at community level.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

  1. The Engage Development Partnership is funded from Europe through the EQUAL Community Initiative Programme for Northern Ireland and is run by a consortium of organisations led by the Simon Community.
  2. In November 2004 Engage received funding of £564,479 for a pilot programme aimed at enhancing the employability of young homeless people.
  3. Media queries to the Department for Employment and Learning Press Office on 028 9025 7872.