Guidance for growth

Now more than ever, the right support is essential to help people get back to work. As more and more people become long-term unemployed, the country faces the challenge of ensuring that people can easily access the skills and support they need to get job-ready and into employment. People experiencing mental health difficulties, illness, disability and long-term unemployment benefit from specific, individualised support which helps them in all of the areas of their lives.

Marie Kelly is Director of National Learning Network which provides training and employment support services to more than 5,000 people in 50 locations throughout Ireland every year.

“People of all ages and from all walks of life come to National Learning Network. We help our students to take the next steps toward employment. Some people who come to us have already been in the workforce and have had to leave for many reasons such as mental or physical ill-health or redundancy. Others may have never experienced employment. We sit down with each person to help them identify their personal goals and then plot a pathway to help them get there.

“All of our courses are nationally-accredited which means that employers can easily recognise the qualifications that our students achieve. But it’s our other supports which really contribute to positive outcomes. We provide psychological and rehabilitative supports as well as practical support with issues arising for people. This ensures that the person can develop new skills and also overcome obstacles that they are encountering in their lives. This holistic approach ensures that our students are very successful, with more than 90 per cent of people completing training with us progressing to further training or employment. We are very proud to say that we have managed to sustain these outcomes despite a very challenging employment market.”

National Learning Network is open to people aged 16 to 65. For some people, the years spent in secondary school can be difficult. Many young people will come straight from school to access a course that will help them to make the transition between secondary and further education. For Paddy Canty, from Naas, school was a very difficult experience.

“I had a really tough time in school. I was diagnosed with being on the autism spectrum but I didn’t understand my disability and I had to learn all about it. I was bullied. I found studying hard but I did the Leaving Certificate Applied. Once I was finished I took a year off. I was exhausted. I didn’t do much as I was trying to get over the difficult few years that I’d had. I was very down and went through a period of depression. I became a very quiet person and my confidence was completely worn down. I was afraid to leave the house, afraid to do anything.”

At first Paddy was reluctant to follow up a referral to National Learning Network in Naas, but, having met the instructor, he agreed to a two week trial to get a feel for the programme. “I knew straight away that the Advance programme was for me. It focuses on the individual, building them up as a person and helping them to find the direction in life and education that they want to take. I was 20 when I started the course and it really helped to build me up after the trauma of secondary school. I stopped being afraid. I made friends and had a social life again. I’m now doing a back to education course which is getting me back into the education frame of mind.”

Vincent Kelly is Area Manager of National Learning Network’s services in Kildare, “Many people who come to us will have tried other training or education options but have struggled. We’ve definitely noticed an increase in the number of people coming to us who have been impacted by the recession. Long-term unemployment can lead to both mental and physical ill-health and people need extra help to get back on course. Some people who come to us may have a learning difficulty such as dyslexia, which has gone unnoticed throughout the lives. Sudden unemployment can bring these problems to the fore.

“In National Learning Network, we support the person every step of the way. By focusing on the individual we can ensure that the supports they receive target the areas where they need support. For some this might be a need to build confidence and self esteem, while for others it might be help with practical skills such as literacy or numeracy or undertaking a nationally-accredited vocational course such as horticulture, computer gaming, catering or courses in the arts.”

For 56-year-old Patrick Byrne, National Learning Network offered him a second chance at life. Born and raised in Belfast, he spent most of his adult life working as a welder and fabricator in towns around Ireland.

Having dyslexia, which went undiagnosed for years, meant he didn’t do well in school and he left barely able to read and write. He was fortunate enough to secure an apprenticeship and, over the years, he worked hard, even setting up his own steel business during the height of the boom. However, in 2009 his world fell apart as his business was hit by the recession and a diagnosis of industrial asthma meant he had to give up his job. Patrick describes the effect these life-changing events had on him, “My life went into a tail spin. I was in my 50s, with no formal education and no real prospects. My confidence and self-esteem hit a real low and I didn’t know what to do. A social worker told me about National Learning Network. I was so anxious to start as soon as possible that I ended up moving from Cavan to Tralee to attend the centre there.”

Patrick took up an introductory skills training course and within three months his confidence had started to return. “It’s the only completely positive environment that I’ve ever been in. There was no negativity.

“The instructors believed in me. They saw an ability that I didn’t even see in myself. It was through National Learning Network that I was able to meet with an educational psychologist and was, at last, diagnosed with dyslexia.

"The support from other students was also very important. The group dynamic was brilliant and we were there to help each other through. It was while I was on work placement that I first started to consider social work as a career. With a lot of support and encouragement from my instructors, I took the entrance examination for University College Cork and couldn't believe it when they accepted me. I've just finished my first year there and I absolutely love it. I never dreamed that I could be here in university. It's beyond my wildest dreams. And I certainly wouldn't be here without National Learning Network – they believed in me and gave me the confidence to believe that I could learn and that I could achieve."

Further details about National Learning Network are available at nln.ie