Cedar staff and representatives from P. Keenan Quarries attended the Mid Ulster Labour Market Partnership celebration event in the Glenavon House Hotel on 15.11.23.

One of the key priorities for the Mid Ulster Labour Market Partnership was to improve on the Mid Ulster’s position as the Council region with the largest disability employment gap in Northern Ireland by investing in an employer-led employability programme that aimed to improve employers understanding of special needs and the support services available.

Cedar was appointed as the delivery agent for the Mid Ulster Employer led Disability Inclusion Programme with the aim of engaging with a number of prominent Mid Ulster employers to:

• Improve employers’ understanding of disability employment needs by addressing knowledge gaps and misperceptions
• Raise awareness of the benefits of tapping into an under utilised and capable labour pool
• Raise awareness of the supports available to employers e.g. Workable NI, Access to Work
• Support the companies through an employability programme with job opportunities created that are suited to employees with a long-term disability or health condition. 

 

During the time-limited programme, Cedar successfully engaged 21 local Mid Ulster employers with 13 participants successfully securing paid employment. P. Keenan Quarries is one of the key local employers who worked closely with Cedar to offer employment to 2 participants from the Mid Ulster Employer led Disability Inclusion Programme. 

At the celebration event, Adrian Martin from P. Keenan Quarries joined a panel of participants, facilitated by Donna Traynor, to discuss the benefits of engaging with the programme and the value he placed on accessing support from Cedar, a specialist disability organisation. Adrian highlighted the main benefits of the partnership with Cedar for Keenan’s as:

• having access to a pool of prospective employees he wouldn’t normally meet through regular recruitment avenues
• having support to understand and implement flexible recruitment practices; which has helped him realise the potential of disabled candidates and gave him the confidence to approach recruitment in different ways
• having ongoing support following recruitment, drawing on Cedar’s expertise of disability and supports available to employers

Adrian was accompanied by Noel Coote, one of the successful candidates from the programme and Catherine McMullan, his colleague from Keenans. Another employer who engaged with the Mid Ulster Employer led Disability Inclusion Programme, Four Dee NI Ltd was represented at the celebration event by Sharon McMacken and Ciara McMacken.