European Social Fund (ESF) case study - Action on Hearing Loss - Specialist Employment Programme 1

Participant's story

This participant is a qualified Chef with many years’ experience and was optimistic of securing employment when he moved to Northern Ireland. He is deaf and uses sign language. After experiencing barriers to work he heard about the Specialist Employment Programme and self-referred with the aim of seeking support when applying for work.

With the support of his Employment Advisor he updated his CV and started to apply for vacancies in his area. One week later he was shortlisted for interview with a local hotel. To prepare, he met with his Employment Advisor to practice for his interview with a sign language interpreter. He was successful, was offered the job and is now working in a full time position as Chef in the hotel.

Gaining employment

The hotel General Manager said:

“He is a fantastic member of the team and we are delighted to have him working with us. He has great passion, flare and confidence in the kitchen. It has been great to have the support from Action on Hearing Loss, which has enabled us to become deaf aware and avail of all support available, including Access to Work and the Workable programme.”

The participant stated:

“Getting support from the Specialist Employment Programme gave me the confidence to apply for and secure a job in my local area, whilst learning about other government support available.”

Translation

An Italian translation of this case study is available at: European Social Fund case study - Action on Hearing Loss 1 - Italian translation