NATIONAL TRAINING AWARDS -

NØW DO IT AGAIN

The NØW Project, helping individuals with learning disabilities to access and keep employment, has, for the second year running, scooped three awards at the prestigious National Training Awards Event. Winning awards at Regional and National level NOW were also presented with the Special Category Award for Diversity and Social Inclusion, sponsored by ‘Skills for Business’.

These awards’ recognise outstanding achievement and success through training and development, and were presented at a gala ceremony in the Culloden Hotel on Tuesday evening 16^th October 2007.

NØW, a company limited by guarantee with charitable status, delivered high quality training, qualifications and support to 124 people aged 16 to 65, in North and West Belfast. Economically inactive, the group had no previous training or qualifications, had little confidence and held poor social skills.  Students gained accredited qualifications in Money management, Independent Travel Training and Basic Work Skills giving each participant greater freedom and independence and put them on the road to being economically active.

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Commenting on their achievements, Maria Burns, Learning and Development Manager with NØW, said: “This project was exceptionally successful. Many of our students are identified as being furthest removed from the labour market and least likely to have formal qualifications. Many had poor literacy or numeracy skills and were outside the recognised National Curriculum Standards of Essential Skills levels. Our Skills Programme has been developed to provide one to one support and innovative training techniques, which enable students to gain nationally accredited qualifications which will enhance their career prospects.”

Congratulating the NOW Project on winning a National Training Award, Employment and Learning Minister, Sir Reg Empey, said: “People with disabilities sometimes lack formal qualifications and/or training. It is encouraging to see that NOW is attempting to change this by providing training for those with disabilities to improve their employment prospects.”

“The NOW Project is a worthy recipient of a National Training Award,” added the Minister.

• NTA Regional Award Winner
• Special Category Award: Skills for Business Award for Promotion of Diversity and Social Inclusion
• National Training Award Winner ( to be presented at the Awards Ceremony held on Thursday 13^th December 2007 in The Royal Lancaster Hotel, London)

The project is named “Project Opportunity” and is funded by PROTEUS under the PEACE II Extension of the Special European programme for Peace & Reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland.