Northern Regional College’s Business Engagement Team continues to help local businesses and organisations innovate and grow by offering flexible training options. Earlier this year, the team delivered accredited training programmes, including Basic Food Hygiene, Health & Safety for Construction, Barista training and employability workshops for the Coleraine based charity, Vineyard Compassion.

An event in The Vineyard to mark the successful completion of the training and to celebrate the achievements of the participants was attended by learners, staff, volunteers and partners.

Vineyard Compassion provides emotional, practical and financial support to vulnerable people in crises to help them get their lives back on track.  As part of its holistic approach to tackling poverty and social deprivation in the Causeway Coasts and Glens area, the charity runs social enterprises and works in tandem with statutory agencies, as well as community and voluntary organisations throughout the Council area.

Northern Regional College Business Engagement Officer Marie Donaghy, who liaised with Vineyard Compassion to help identity their training needs, said the training provided by the College was designed to give people practical support and help them move from crises towards achieving their full potential.

The courses delivered included: CSR Health & Safety Card for Construction workers; Basic Food Hygiene; and Barista training.  The College, in conjunction with North West Regional College, also helped deliver five Work Ready Employability Workshops as part of the Causeway Coast and Glens Labour Market Partnership.

The topics covered in the workshops included: CV building, job search, including online and offline applications beneficiaries; Interview preparation, including Interview planning, Interview techniques and skills; Personal Development, incorporating; communication skills, team working, confidence building; Workplace Essentials Skills, including Understanding the workplace; Workplace legal considerations, Health and safety, Employment rights; and Benefits Essentials and addressing barriers to employment.

A spokesperson for Vineyard Compassion said the relationship with the College had been very beneficial for the participants who are already reaping rich rewards as a result of the training they completed.

“The training provided by the College was amazing and life changing for participants. Some of them have already secured employment, others who were able to achieve their first ever qualification, have been encouraged to do other training so they could improve their employment prospects.

“I hope we can build on the success of these initial training programmes, and I look forward to developing a long term training partnership with the College.”

Funding for the training was secured from the NI Housing Executive’s Homelessness Prevention Fund Causeway Coast and Glens Labour Market Partnership.

For further information on how Northern Regional College’s Business Engagement Team can help your business to innovate and grow, email business.engagement@nrc.ac.uk or visit our website www.nrc.ac.uk