Higher education vital says Farry
Employment and Learning Minister, Dr Stephen Farry has stressed the importance of higher level qualifications when it comes to securing employment. He was addressing representatives from the National Union of Students and the Union of Students in Ireland (NUS-USI) at their annual conference in Fermanagh recently. “The Northern Ireland Skills Strategy which I launched last...
McDonald’s staff lead the fight against litter bugs
Staff from McDonald’s restaurants in Belfast volunteered for a clean-up operation to rid unsightly litter blighting the Lagan Towpath area recently. Tying in with Tidy NI’s Big Spring Clean campaign and led by shift manager and Planet Champion Mateusz Wasielewski, the McDonald’s tidy crew of 15 volunteers filled 12 bags of litter. Speaking at the...
New staff as firm sweeps contracts
Cleaning and security firm Robinson Services is to expand its workforce by 300 following the purchase of 180 cleaning contracts from Resource Group. The deal, thought to be worth over £1m, will bring Robinson Service’s total workforce to 1,500 and, it said, makes it the largest private support services business in Northern Ireland. The deal...
Food firm’s expansion will bring over 150 new posts
An international food company is creating over 150 new jobs in its Co Tyrone factory as part of an £11.5m investment. Vion in Cookstown produces pork, sausages, bacon and cooked meats and is the largest pig processing plant in Ireland. Now its Netherlands-based parent is investing in new equipment to improve animal welfare and increase...
Students celebrate achieving the Mex-imum returns for their effort
Students from across Belfast have been celebrating after successfully running a business for a day last month and raising money for charity in the process. The budding entrepreneurs took part in the Mex-imum Business Challenge, a student enterprise initiative organised by Belfast City Council with the support of Belfast Metropolitan College, Queen`s University, the University...
Scheme helps companies take a Bite out of waste
Belfast City Council has launched its latest round the BITES (Business Improvements Through Environmental Solutions) Programme. Supported by the European Regional Development Fund it is a business development initiative to help companies reduce waste and energy, boost profits and help the environment. Running for the last two years in the city, the programme’s success has...
Minister Farry urges new campaign to help disabled people find work
Government, voluntary and community sectors must work closely to help people with disabilities into employment, according to Employment and Learning Minister, Dr Stephen Farry. Addressing delegates at the Northern Ireland Union for Supported Employment (NIUSE) conference in Belfast recently, the Minister said: “We have a responsibility to provide everyone with the necessary support to give...
The American dream awaits….
A Newtownabbey student was hired on the spot recently when he attended a recruitment fair for a US summer camp. Andrew Cass, 20, from Jordanstown, travelled to Manchester for the event and nailed the job there and then as a camp counsellor during his summer 2012 holidays. Andrew, who is currently studying medicine at Queen’s...
How to be an effective, not a defective leader
Spring is traditionally the time of year for new starts and fresh thinking. But with the present economic situation that may be easier said that done – you might be one of those who are out of work, or maybe one of those fortunate enough to be in a job, but fearing cuts in salaries...
Young leaders event aims to inspire our up-and-coming professionals
Northern Ireland’s first Young Leaders’ Conference will take place in Belfast on May 25, with key note addresses from leaders of UK Industry and some of Northern Ireland’s most successful businesses. The conference is a major new initiative from Young Leaders NI, an organisation formed by the Institute of Directors -Young Directors’ Forum, Belfast Junior...