Labour Market Partnership
MEALMP Action Plan Employment & Skills Academies Transport Academy
Enterprise Pathway Future First Programme Access All Areas
Women Returners Programme CleanTech Hub Upcoming Events
Mid and East Antrim Labour Market Partnership aims to support more people into meaningful employment.
The Labour Market Partnership (LMP) is a province-wide approach developed by the Department of Communities and aims to address issues with jobs and training by combining resources and delivering a collaborative and flexible approach to employability support.
The LMP focuses on improving labour market conditions and addressing issues with employers, training providers, as well as community and voluntary organisations.
Contact us at: LMP@midandeastantrim.gov.uk
Mid and East Antrim Labour Market Partnership - 2022/23 Action Plan
Employment and Skills Academies
Intensive training interventions focused on developing practical industry knowledge and skills targeting the unemployed, under-employed, those at risk of redundancy and those who want to skill up will be developed throughout the year such as:
Transport Academy
Hospitality/Tourism Academy
Female Advanced Manufacturing Skills Academy
Fibre Skills Academy
Hospitality Skills Academy
Council, in partnership with NOW Group, are offering the opportunity to participate in a 6-week classroom-based hospitality course, followed by a 1 day a week work placement for 6 weeks in a local hospitality or catering business.
Participants will get a chance to improve their employability skills, increase their knowledge and confidence, gain accredited qualifications and workplace experience.
E: amplify@midandeastantrim.gov.uk
T: 028 2563 3363
Mid & East Antrim Transport Academy
The Transport Academy provides all the required training to enable participants to acquire the Category C / HGV Class 2 or Category D / PCV bus licence and supports them to compete for professional driver roles with local employers.
Places are limited, to progress to the selection process, candidates must:
- Reside within the Mid & East Antrim Borough Council Area
- Be unemployed or under-employed (typically working less than 21 hours)
- Hold a full, clean, current UK Driving Licence – candidates must have held a full UK Driving Licence for at least 2 years. Both the plastic card and paper counterpart will be required to obtain the necessary provisional entitlement to commence training
- Be willing and able to undertake a medical exam
- Be committed and available to complete all required aspects of the Academy including appointments for medicals, theory test classes, lessons, tests and interviews
- Be committed to taking up appropriate employment within the Transport sector
The Academy is managed by Workforce Training Services, to apply email your contact details including address and postcode to info@workforceonline.org by 12.00pm on Monday 25 July.
Please include ‘Mid & East Antrim Transport Academy’ in the subject line and indicate your preference for either Category C (HGV) or Category D (Bus) within your email.
Workforce is closed 11 – 22 July and will contact applicant’s w/c 25 July.
To address the gender imbalance within the transport sector we particularly welcome applications from women.
Transport Employers
Borough-based employers interested in engaging with the Academy to support driver recruitment should contact sean.keenan@midandeastantrim.gov.uk.
For any other information, please contact lmp@midandeastantrim.gov.uk or T: 028 2563 3345.
Mid & East Antrim Enterprise Pathway
The Enterprise Pathways Programme helps MEA residents furthest removed from the labour market to create their own job through self-employment.
Enterprise Pathways will engage those most in need of enhanced support and will prioritise applications from people with long-term health conditions, people with disabilities, people with caring responsibilities and people with low skills/low educational attainment.
Participants will be supported over a period of up to 8 months to identify, explore and test business ideas, develop enterprise and personal skills, build networks, test trade, start and grow a business.
Each participant is matched with a Skills Coach / Business Mentor and will benefit from up to 15 hours of 1:2:1 bespoke support to help realise their personal goals. Enterprise Pathways support will be additional to and complement existing business start provision available through the Go For It programme.
Participants can apply to the Get Started Fund to help remove specific barriers to entry, purchase essential equipment and/or acquire specialist services to help accelerate their progress towards self-employment.
To be eligible, applicants must:
- be unemployed/economically inactive MEA residents with the right to work in the UK
- have the desire to start a business in the next 6 months, though may not yet have a pre-determined business idea
- be committed to engaging with all aspects of the programme and working towards full-time self-employment
To apply:
Send an email registering your interest to: venturefolk@gmail.com with the email subject: Enterprise Pathways Application
Or
If you would like to refer a client to the programme, you can download a referral form and send it to: venturefolk@gmail.com with the email subject: Enterprise Pathways Referral
Future First Programme
Future First will give behind-the-scenes access to a range of local sectors for a pilot groups of young people (15-16) who are at risk of leaving education with no clear destination or becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training).
Upcoming events will be held to support those seeking work to move into employment, training or education offering the opportunity for residents and young people to connect with employers and improve their knowledge of career pathways and opportunities.
More details to follow.
Access All Areas
Access All Areas is a new Mid and East Antrim Labour Market Partnership initiative, funded by the Department for Communities and delivered by local training and employment specialists, Network Personnel.
Access All Areas will support 20 motivated individuals who are dealing with the additional challenges and barriers to employment due to disabilities/long term health conditions. Each participant will receive bespoke support aligned with their individual circumstances, to enable them to avail of work tasters, placements and employment opportunities with local employers.
Network Personnel’s skilled team of employment mentors will ensure that Access All Areas participants are equipped with the appropriate support and attitudes to produce mutually beneficial outcomes for both participants and employers. Network Personnel will deliver an ‘end to end’ service, providing introductions and guidance (including access to grants, equipment etc.), matching participants with appropriate industries, roles and local employers. Training can also be arranged to ensure that participants have the appropriate skills to meet employer needs.
It is anticipated that socially conscious Mid & East Antrim employers will contribute to the success of Access All Areas by engaging with Network Personnel and programme participants, providing short term and long term opportunities for individuals who face additional challenges in finding and securing employment.
If you would like to participate or if your organisation would like contribute to a legacy of opportunity and inclusion in the Mid & East Antrim region, please contact Alex McKee at Network Personnel T: 028 2568 9509 / 028 7963 1032 or info@networkpersonnel.org.uk.
Women Returners Programme
RISE: Returners Into Sustained Employment
RISE is an exciting new initiative, open to women who reside in the MEA area, who have had a break from work through life changes such as caring, illness or redundancy and who need a helping hand to take those first steps towards employment.
RISE offers:
- A 6-week programme of activities addressing the real issues that women face when returning to work (group and 1-1)
- Health and Well-being support
- Action planning and mentoring
- Help with CV building and interview techniques
- Accredited & non-accredited training
- Introductions to local employers
- Work tasters/placement opportunities
This programme is open to residents of Mid & East Antrim Borough Council only.
For more information on RISE, please contact Network Personnel on:
T: 028 2568 9509
T: 028 7963 1032
E: info@networkpersonnel.org.uk
CleanTech Hub
Targeting participants who want to upskill and transition towards better quality jobs. Support MEA as the province’s leading region for the hydrogen economy and for clean tech, supporting the regional skills ecosystem by upskilling additional trainers, technicians and new industry entrants.
More details to follow.
Upcoming events
Mid and East Antrim Rural Support Clinic
Join us at Glenlough Community Centre, #Carnlough on Friday 2 December between 10am – 2pm for our FREE drop-in Rural Support Clinic to help provide support and guidance to those in rural areas across Mid and East Antrim.
There will be a number of support organisations in attendance including:
- MEA Energy Efficiency team providing money-saving tips to help residents through the current cost of living crisis and winter months;
- Employability and Skills organisations to assist anyone looking for work, wanting careers advice or thinking of learning a new skill; and
- Advice and support services on benefits, housing and consumer issues.
Farm Families will also be in attendance offering free health assessments and advice tailored specifically to attendees via a pre-booked service.
The health checks can be completed quickly and will check Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, BMI, Diabetic Risk and more, along with general lifestyle and mental health/well-being advice.
Please note, there are limited health check slots available so please CLICK HERE to secure your slot now or contact Danielle Gillan at 028 2563 3345.
Come along and chat with our local organisations and ensure you are getting the best support available!