The Local Employment Access Partnership (LEAP) is a new employability initiative launching June 28th in North Belfast, home to some the most employment deprived areas in Northern Ireland. Funded by Belfast City Council and the Laganside Corporation, LEAP aims to link unemployed residents with job opportunities through pre-employment courses reflecting the needs of local employers. The project will devise an employability strategy for North Belfast to tackle the multiple barriers preventing local people accessing jobs.
Indeed, the North Belfast Partnership which oversees the development of LEAP, recognises an urgent need for joint effort across the area from community, public and private sectors in addressing the problem. In addition to organising pre-employment courses, LEAP will hold open discussions in the North Belfast area on obstacles to employment. These range from low educational attainment, transport to available jobs and employer requirements, to other barriers such as negative perceptions of North Belfast by recruiters and childcare provision.
Community division and conflict has taken its toll on North Belfast with unemployment rates remaining above Northern Ireland average. Recent statistics on employment benefit claimants for the area of 2,166 registered unemployed is the third highest in Northern Ireland behind Foyle and West Belfast constituencies.
Within such a context of slow economic regeneration and community fracture, North Belfast Partnership Chief Executive, Murdo Murray remains optimistic:
‘One agency alone cannot impact on unemployment issues in the North Belfast area. North Belfast Partnership hope that working in tandem with North Belfast agencies, groups and communities, LEAP will provide a platform to influence policy makers to prioritise and address the real needs of people in North Belfast looking for work.’
LEAP is a replicate of the very successful Belfast initiative the Gasworks Employment Matching service in the south of the city established in 2002 and also funded by Belfast City Council and Laganside Corporation. Chairman of Belfast City Council’s Economic Development Sub-Committee, Councillor Michael Browne, emphasises the importance of projects like LEAP in economic regeneration:
‘LEAP is part of a pro-active citywide approach to strategically target areas of high unemployment. Through involvement in initiatives such as LEAP, the Council hopes to support people in North Belfast and other areas to access the increasing number of job opportunities in the city, key to maintaining our economic growth.’
Kyle Alexander, Chief Executive of Laganside Corporation outlines their role:
‘As part of our ongoing Employment and Employability Outreach Strategy, we are delighted to be supporting the LEAP initiative. The initiative will provide pre-employment training for a range of job opportunities currently on offer from companies within the regenerated Laganside.’
For more information on LEAP please contact the LEAP Project Co-ordinator Maire Grattan: Telephone: 90 752990 Fax: 90 75 2788
Mobile: 07704 507485
E-Mail:maire.grattan@nthbp.org
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