Minister praises South Belfast employement initiatives

Employment Minister, Sir Reg Empey, today visited GEMS NI to learn how they help people in South Belfast find jobs.

The organisation is actively engaged with the diverse local community in the delivery of services aimed at economic and social regeneration of the area. These include employment, education and training programmes and working with employers to identify job opportunities for unemployed clients.

A developing area of work for GEMS NI is supporting people who do not have English as a first language to improve their employability skills and access to the local labour market. This work is supported by the European Union, as well as other locally-based funding bodies.

Since April 2007 GEMS NI has been delivering the Department for Employment and Learning’s Local Employment Intermediary Service (LEMIS), in South Belfast. This service provides tailored assistance to help people overcome personal barriers that are preventing them from finding employment and keeping a job. It is designed to help and support those who, for whatever reason are not presently using the statutory job-finding services. LEMIS complements the existing Jobs and Benefits facilities.

Speaking after his visit, the Minister said: “My Department is committed to helping people prepare for, and enter into, the labour market. We specifically target those in areas of most need and I am pleased to see that we are working together with community-based organisations, such as GEMS NI, on a range of initiatives which are designed to have a positive effect in the local community. I have been impressed by the staff in GEMS NI who are obviously dedicated to helping serve the needs of their client base. Clearly, organisations like these are making a real difference within their communities by complementing the work of the statutory agencies in addressing the employability needs of the long term unemployed.”

Notes to Editors:

1. GEMS NI has its origins in a project which was set up in 2002 under South Belfast Partnership Board. Its aim was to maximise opportunities for the long-term unemployed or the economically inactive to find work, initially in the Gasworks and Laganside areas. In 2006 the project became an independent charitable organisation – GEMS Northern Ireland Ltd.
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