Labour Market Partnership

Transport Academy Enterprise Pathway Work Connections

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Work Connections

Work Connections aims to enhance the employability of MEA residents with disabilities who are unemployed or working less hours than they would like to through the provision of accredited learning, 1:2:1 mentoring, soft skills development and work sampling / placements with local employers.

Offering a selection of training courses up to Level 2, including but not limited to customer service, pre-employment and catering & hospitality, all delivered in person.

Training will also be available for employers providing placements and employment opportunities to participants.

Work Connections is funded by Department for Communities as part of the Mid and East Labour Market Partnership Action Plan for 2023/24 and is delivered by NOW Group.

To enquire about participating or request further information please contact:

E: mark.wilson@nowgroup.org
M: 07710 094 886

E: victoria.mcauley@nowgroup.org
M: 07884 330 036

Restaurant Floor Academy

Mid and East Antrim Labour Market Partnership are offering residents the opportunity to develop their skills within Food Services by participating in our Restaurant Academy.

The Restaurant Academy will train 10 participants through this initiative over a 4-week period.

All participants will have the opportunity to complete a range of industry-recognised qualifications during their time on the academy.

What are the benefits for you?

Level 2 Food Safety and Hygiene Certificate
Level 2 World Host Award in Principles of Customer Service
Course delivered by Industry Experts
An opportunity to improve your employability skills;
One to one mentoring support for the duration of the programme; and
Guaranteed interviews with local employers

Location & Course Timetable

Northern Regional College Trostan Avenue, Ballymena

Monday - Wednesday, 9.30am - 4pm

Who can apply?

Mid and East Antrim residents aged 16 years and over who are economically inactive, long-term unemployed or under-employed (typically working less than 16 hours) and current employees who live in the MEA area wishing to upskill within the hospitality sector.

Candidates do not require any qualifications/experience in Food & Beverage to be eligible for a place on this course.

Interested? E: Pamela.Steele@nrc.ac.uk or E: lmp@midandeastantrim.gov.uk.

Employment and Skills Support