A BUSINESS event to support and empower unemployed young women has been officially opened.
The Women in Business event Turn over a New Leaf aims to help unemployed women aged between 16 and 24 into sustainable employment by providing mentoring and learning opportunities.
Opening the event at the Assembly Buildings Conference Centre at Fisherwick Place, Belfast, the Minister for Employment and Learning Stephen Farry said: “Women are on the whole performing better than men within the education system, but there are clearly barriers to both accessing and sustaining employment, and progression within the workplace.
Overall, the employment rate for women is lower than that of men.
“This pattern extends into self-employment, where only one in five selfemployed people are female.”
In addition the minister stressed the importance of exploiting the skill and talent marketplace in Northern Ireland in order to compete globally. He said more people should be encouraged to set up their own business, adding: “It is that dynamism and innovation that will drive our economic transformation.”
The programme is funded by the European Social Fund through the Department for Employment and Learning.
Meanwhile, a networking event next week will bring together local creative talent to maximise their business potential.
The OUTPUT#01 event will consist of industry panels, networking opportunities and an onstage music showcase headlined by Verse Chorus Verse providing a crucial forum for artists, labels, managers and digital content creatives to meet, network and learn together.
The event takes place in Amplified Bar, Newry, next Thursday, October 24 and follows University of Ulster’s announcement of the Honeycomb — Creative programme, a £3.5m EU-financed support fund for the creative industries sector.
UU’s creative enterprise manager Fiona McElroy said: “Through the project, we have developed a partnership with Generator NI, a new three-year music industry development programme for Northern Ireland, to ensure that together we can bring the creative industries to key cities and towns across Northern Ireland.”
Two teams of specialists have been assembled to discuss their particular expertise.
The creative panel includes the voice and face of Verse Chorus Verse Tony Wright; internationally successful dance music producer and DJ Gregory Ferguson, film and music video maker Darren Lee at Maverick Renegade Films and engineer, music producer and composer Declan Legge of Big Space Studios.
The business panel features PR specialist Jeff Robinson; Harvest and Pigstock festival director Jonny Tate; artist, drummer and repertoire manager at Broken Melody Records, Thomas Camblin, and Dan Byrne-McCullough of Hyperduck — who specialises in the composition and production of music for games.
Admission to the event is free, those wishing to request a place should email info@thehoneycomb.net.