Minister opens Newry social enterprise store
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
EMPLOYMENT and Learning Minister Dr Stephen Farry pictured with Jerome Mullen, chairman of the Clanrye Group with Heart and Home staff/programme trainees, Gemma Malone, Debbie Phillips and David McConnell.
EMPLOYMENT and Learning Minister Stephen Farry was in Newry on Thursday to officially open Heart & Home, part of the Clanrye Retail Social Enterprise.
Heart & Home is a retail shop, located at Drumalane Mill, which sells gifts produced by a social enterprise as well as providing work experience opportunities to participants on the programme.
Training is offered to 30 participants who have a physical disability and are unemployed. The projects offers the opportunity to gain work experience and social skills to increase their chances of securing employment.
Speaking at the opening the Minister said: "This enterprises provides an excellent example of how the European Social Fund (ESF) and local public sector funding can work hand in hand for the benefit of our community.
“My attendance today provides me with the opportunity to see at first hand the training that takes place and to recognise the achievement of the trainees who are with us today."
The programme is funded by the ESF, the Department for Employment and
Learning and the Southern Health and Social Care Trust.
Mr Farry added: "This funding helps to provide a broad range of complementary activities of direct and valuable support of the trainees, enabling access to accredited courses.
“Most importantly of all, initiatives such as this provide participants with new and wider choices in their lives, and the prospect of full-time employment."
Clanrye Retail Social Enterprise is part of the wider Clanrye Group, based at Slieve Gullion Courtyard, which trains and develops young people under the Department for Employment and Learning's Training for Success programme.
Jerome Mullan, chairman of the Clanrye Group, said: "The opening of the gift shop Heart & Home marks the first step in the projects plan to create a social enterprise that supports and trains individuals in retail related skills through offering real work experience as well as accredited qualifications. "We are confident that this training will accelerate a participant's readiness towards securing paid employment in the retail sector."
Mr Mullan said that the scheme is invaluable as it offers not only training and opportunities to gain social skills, but a "sense of belonging" for participants.
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