‘Work-Ability’ Programme Launch
Last week Galway Rural Development (GRD) launched their new ‘Inclusive Pathways to Employment’ programme titled Work-Ability and introduced their new team.
CEO of GRD Steve Dolan, Aoife Maguire (Work-Ability North), Chairperson of GRD Cllr Pete Roche, Yvonne Hoary (Work-Ability East), and Damien Culhane (Work-Ability South.)
The programme will focus on achieving improved employment outcomes for people with disabilities through a range of support measures. The new programme will support projects that provide progressive pathways into employment through education, training, skills development; as well as in-work support for participants based on their needs, their abilities, and their potential. The existing disability services, employment services, and GRD’s other partners will be central to the approach.
Chairperson of Galway Rural Development, Cllr Peter Roche, said “Today is an important and proud day for GRD. The purpose of this Work-Ability Programme is to ensure people with disabilities are fully supported to find and maintain employment, and to support the organisations who employ programme participants.” “Over the coming months, we will be focusing on building the capacity of employers to recruit, retain and progress people with disabilities within their workforce. In GRD, we will work to facilitate partnerships among stakeholders in order to provide the necessary employment supports to those with disabilities.”
“The primary objective of Work-Ability is improving employment prospects for people with disabilities who are often distant from the labour market. Securing this programme compliments and enhances our existing work in GRD which I also want to acknowledge here. We are very excited to deliver this new programme for East Galway.”
The Work-Ability: Inclusive Pathways to Employment Programme is a new programme co-financed by the EU Employment, Inclusion, Skills, and Training Programme (EIST) 2021-2027 and the Department of Social Protection (DSP). The new programme will be fully supported by the SICAP, Tús, and GRD’s other existing employment programmes.
