EMPLOYERS hold the key to helping young people prepare for work and harnessing their potential, according to Employment and Learning Minister Dr Stephen Farry.
He was speaking during a recent meeting with Firstsource employees who have been recruited with the assistance of his department’s programmes.
DEL has established links with outsourcing company Firstsource, who has offered work experience placements through the Youth Employment Scheme (YES), recruited unemployed jobseekers, and availed of the Steps to Work and YES employer subsidies.
Speaking at Firstsource’s Belfast premises, the minister said: “Employers hold the key to helping young people prepare for work and harnessing their potential. I commend First-source who have recognised the importance of providing job opportunities for unemployed jobseekers and availing of my department’s programmes, such as the Youth Employment Scheme.
“I recognise the important contribution which employers have made to the scheme and my department is seeking to work with business and industry as equal partners to grow our economy and to create a future for our young people in line with the Northern Ireland economic strategy. “Since the launch of the scheme, over 4,200 employers have signed an employer agreement with the department offering a work experience placement or job to a young person.’
Firstsource is a global business process outsourcing organisation, providing business services to leading global companies in the banking, financial services, telecoms, media and healthcare sectors.
During the visit, the minister held meetings with Firstsource management to relay the range of departmental programmes and initiatives available to employers.
Praising the DEL employment schemes, Firstsource chief operating officer Stephanie Wilson said: “Our recruitment team has worked closely with DEL officials since we started operating in Northern Ireland back in 2006. This has ensured that we bring much needed employment to the Belfast and Derry/Londonderry areas and we now have a strong employee base of over 2,000 across three sites.”