New funding available for Employers

The Employment East Programme (EE) is funded by The Executive Office through the Delivering Social Change Framework and funded by the Social Investment Fund (SIF). Operationally, the EE Programme is delivered through a consortium made up of GEMS NI, Bryson FutureSkills, East Belfast Enterprise and Business in the Community.

There are two key elements to EE:

A 26 week work opportunity which aims to support people to get back into mainstream employment through a mix of training and work placements.

A Flexible Training Fund offering a range of occupational training to improve employment prospects.

Eligibility:

• The EE Programme is targeted at unemployed or underemployed people, aged 18 or over,  living in the Belfast East SIF zone.
• The programme is open to those living within the top 20% SOAs within the Belfast East SIF zone.

The programme is primarily directed at those who are unemployed (including those who are long term unemployed or economically inactive) who are disengaged from the labour market.

• To access the work opportunity, participants must be unemployed for at least 12 months and not participating on Steps to Success.

Employers can be based anywhere in Northern Ireland but must have opportunities that are accessible to people living in the Belfast East SIF zone.