PHOTOS: Job Shadow initiative in conjunction with St John of God, Celbridge

IASE (Irish Association of Supported Employment) believes that everyone should experience the dignity & purpose of a job. We work to inspire organisations to transform people’s lives through supported employment Securing paid employment for people with intellectual disability SJOG Liffey Services. Establishing the suitability and capability of people with intellectual disability to secure paid employment was the goal of the Job Shadow initiative in Celbridge, Co Kildare and it has proven a considerable success. Job Shadow is basically as it says on the tin. Participants with an intellectual disability got to shadow staff in restaurants, pubs, hotels and the retail and the public sector arenas. Not only did the participants get to job shadow, they also had the chance to demonstrate their own skills on the job with natural support from the person they were shadowing. This proved very successful as two participants already had a paid job throughout the year from Eddie Rockets, Celbridge Matt Kelly, the owner of Eddie Rockets, Celbridge and Midland Optical Park West, bought into the initiative from the outset and both offers were gratefully accepted by the participants. The scheme has been very well supported by the North Kildare region. Kildare north certainly bought in to World Job Shadow week with companies such as west midlands optical, in Park West. In Celbridge, Dept of Agriculture, Tescos, Community Garda Aidan Mc Guane,The Duck Pub , Frank O Rourke TD office, Celbridge library.  In Maynooth, It’s a Bagel, Eve Larine, Brady’s Pub, NUI Pugin Hall, Alainn Beauty Salon, Euro Giant, Fierce Fitness, Good Manors Manor Mills Car Valeting, Glenroyal Leisure Club and O Brien’s. Leixlip Library, Portways Trailors (Applegreen), Straffan Tea Rooms, Kildare County Council and of course MUSGRAVES IN KILCOCK. Musgraves and Portway Trailers (Applegreen) have already employed people from the SJOG Liffey Services Employment Services and are always a great support in any initiative to promote inclusion and paid employment for any individual with an intellectually disability. Lidl are also a company that wants to promote inclusion and paid employment and their stores based in Clane, Celbridge, Maynooth and Kilcock were to the forefront of driving this initiative forward, with all four stores taking part in Job Shadow Week. Lidl are a very progressive company as we know and are open to progressing this further in the very near future. It was also great to see former GAA All-Star Johnny Doyle doing his bit in promoting Job Shadow Week, pictured outside Lidl’s store in Clane. Maybe we should all open our eyes and look at the ability rather than disability and forget about urban myths in relation to people with an intellectual disability. We all have something to offer in paid employment. If you have paid employment available in your company, there is finance assistance for employers and for further information why not contact Louise Mac Nevin (Supervisor Supported Employment) on 087 3620911 or Niall Carew (Supported employment negotiator) on 086 2798575 who will be supported in companies by our Employment Support Team - Paula Green and Niamh Nolan.