SPRINGBOARD UK, a charity which aims to relieve poverty and unemployment by promoting careers within the hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors, has secured a total of £83,000 in funding from The Gallaher Trust, after a successful one-year pilot, with the remaining £55,000 to be spent over the next two years.
Entitled ‘Destination Hospitality – Steps to Employment for Ballymena’, the project aims to develop the soft skills, confidence and employability of participants and has already supported 12 individuals into employment and a total of 20 people have enrolled in training. Over a total of three years, the project plans to train and support 45 adults from the area, with 24 progressing into employment.
Already well on the way to achieving this, Caitriona Lennox, Northern Ireland Manager at Springboard UK commented: “We’re delighted with the progress of the project over the last year and we’re very grateful to The Gallaher Trust as without their support, the project simply wouldn’t be feasible.
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“Although Springboard’s work spans across the whole of Northern Ireland, the Trust’s assistance has enabled us to hone in on those in the Ballymena area and we have seen already that it has made a huge difference to those who have engaged with us so far.
“The Destination Hospitality – Steps to Employment project offers participants a series of workshops, aiding their employability skills and covering aspects such as team building, confidence, industry skills, CV writing and interview preparation. Some individuals we have worked with believed that they would never enter the world of work and we’re so proud to say that they not only have achieved this, but they’re thriving in their roles.”
According to Lauren McAteer, a Trustee at The Gallaher Trust, projects like these are beneficial to the local area, both in terms of assisting disadvantaged adults into employment opportunities and boosting the local leisure, tourism and hospitality sectors, which have been facing a plethora of challenges recently.
“Too often, individuals, through no fault of their own, find it difficult to gain the softer skills and thus confidence required when applying for jobs. This has resulted in a very challenging environment for disadvantaged adults. This programme gives people that skillset to take that next step,” said Lauren.
“At The Gallaher Trust, we are committed to supporting initiatives that make a tangible difference to individuals and the wider community.
“The hospitality, tourism and leisure sectors are central to the local economy, but they continue to face challenges around the recruitment and retention of skilled staff. The success of the Destination Hospitality – Steps to Employment project shows just how transformative targeted training and support can be, not only in helping individuals to secure employment but by providing a much-needed pipeline of future talent.
“We’re very pleased to see the achievements of the project so far and are looking forward to seeing what it can achieve over the next two years.”
For more information on The Gallaher Trust and the projects it supports, visit the website: www.thegallahertrust.org.
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