The Career Ready employability programme has been expanding in schools across N. Ireland over the last 7 years. One area that remained under-developed (for geographical reasons) was the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon (ABC) area.
With funding from The James Kane Foundation, an additional Career Ready Regional Manager will join the Career Ready team focusing specifically on the ABC Council area, and doubling the number of students that Career Ready currently works with over the next 3 years.
Six schools from the area have volunteered to take part in the first stage of this planned development, beginning Sept 2023. This will be followed by another six schools taking part during the academic year 2024-2025 and then six more in 2025-2026. Each school will be supported by a number of local and national employers who volunteer to support students as part of their career journey.
Tony Madden, Regional Manager, commented “The partnership between Career Ready, the school and the employers, has a transformational affect on the students involved, allowing them to grow in confidence, broaden their range of professional networks, opening up a world of career possibilities they may have never previously considered, giving them the knowledge, support and confidence to allow them to make informed decisions about their future careers. Employers get to share this journey with the students and many end up building lasting relationships with the students throughout their career journey”.