Northern Ireland Region Individual Winner National Training Awards 2001

Belfast man, Thomas Carmichael of PROTEUS (NI) Limited, is one of three Northern Ireland individual winners joining 25 organisation winners in National Training Awards Competition 2001 which is organised in Northern Ireland by the Training & Employment Agency, part of the Department for Employment and Learning.

Thomas, who is registered blind, monitors the grants allocated from the Peace and Reconciliation Programme to projects within Northern Ireland for PROTEUS. Thomas had previously had a very fulfilling career as a self employed cabinet maker/shopfitter. However in November 1994 he was diagnosed with retinal detachment. This made his current job impossible to undertake and Thomas embarked on a rehabilitation course which focused on information technology, an area that had developed new training aids to make access to the visually impaired possible.

Thomas's original plan was to gain sufficient information technology expertise to set up a business management service for the construction industry. From 1997 through to 1999 Thomas trained with a number of organisations to upgrade his qualifications and was offered a job as monitoring assistant with PROTEUS in 1999.

Since joining PROTEUS, Thomas has embarked on further training:

   •    ICOM training on European Funding Regulations, Monitoring and Evaluation

   •    In house training on Monitoring of the European Social Fund

   •    Accounting for non-accountants

   •    CIPFA Diploma in Management Practice

Throughout all the training, Thomas has been supported by the Training and Employment Agency's Disability Advisory Service.

Speaking about his Northern Ireland Regional Award, Thomas said, " My achievements to date have far outweighed the expectations that I originally had and I very much enjoy my present role. I have learnt an enormous amount about the complexities of European Union funding regulations since my appointment. This has mostly been gained through on the job experience, where I have learned with assistance from my colleagues and mentor. The formal training undertaken both at ICOM and the audit skills diploma have given me an understanding of the professional role, procedures and responsibilities of an auditor as well as bringing me a Northern Ireland Regional Award of which I am inordinately proud."

Thomas also received his award at the National Training Awards Ceremony at Belfast City Hall on Tuesday 13 November 2001.

Northern Ireland Regional Winner