Addressing Unemployment the Northstone Way
26 July 2011
Northstone is actively supporting and also sponsoring the efforts of local charity, Business in the Community, in its efforts to help address unemployment in West Belfast and Greater Shankill. The unemployment rate in these areas of Belfast is at 40% despite their having one third of Belfast’s working age population.
It was against this backcloth that Business in the Community founded its Employers Forum Construction Cluster to bring together major construction companies to deliver various initiatives to provide employment and training opportunities in the construction sector in the area. Northstone Human Resources Director, Jim Leitch, chairs the Cluster.
In 2010, the Construction Cluster delivered a supervisor development programme accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management, to twelve long term unemployed persons drawn from both sides of the community. The seven module programme is the same as that delivered within Northstone. The topics covered include health and safety, managing performance, problem solving and team leading. Representatives from each of the companies in the Cluster delivered the modules. Of the twelve trainees who completed the course in 2010, there were eight who moved into full time employment.
The course was again delivered in 2011 and the success of 2010 was repeated.
“The real success story of the Northstone course is that it builds self confidence in the trainees,” said Jim.
“As part of the assessment process on the course, the trainees are required to take part in a recorded interview of their experiences on the course. The feedback provided by Mary Evans, one of the trainees on the course, makes the efforts of Cluster worthwhile. In it she said.”
“I’ve been out of the workforce for 14 years and my confidence was at rock bottom, but now its built up. Prior to the course, I wasn’t going out of my house at all, but now I do and my medication has all been cut down. The course helped me change within myself – I’m not afraid anymore, and aim to get a job. My attitude now is……you don’t know until you try. When I get my SDP certificate, I will be so proud to add that to my CV.”
The Construction Cluster have already decided to again borrow the Northstone Supervisor Development Course in 2012 and deliver it to another group of long term unemployed people in West Belfast and Greater Shankill.
