EmployAbility Galway Board Appointment - Mark Quick

We are delighted to have Mark Quick join our board this month.  Mark holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) from NUI Galway, a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Trinity College Dublin and a professional accreditation as a Project Management Practitioner. 

He has spent almost 15 years in entrepreneurship in Ireland and previously co-founded, grew and sold SourceDogg a multi-award winning procurement software company which created 65 jobs in Dublin and Galway.  Mark is now a consultant in the area of economic, environmental & social sustainability with a focus on how procuring organisations can use these criteria in the selection and risk management of suppliers.  He is responsible for the Irish rollout of the Sustainability Index initiative of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS), a global organisation with over 100,000 professional members.   Mark also serves on the Board of Directors of several start-up companies.

He has been involved with not-for-profit work for many years including fundraising & mentoring activities and aims to actively assist in the continuous improvement of the EmployAbility Galway processes to achieve the best possible outcomes for clients.

EmployAbility Galway Board Appointment - Gary Stakem

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Gary Stakem to our Board of Directors in July of 2014.  Gary is a Life Assurance Actuary and has been working with Galway based insurer, Acorn Life Ltd. since 2009. Acorn Life are an Irish owned company offering a wide range of financial products. Gary’s main duties include Data Analytics, Financial Reporting, Cash-flow Modelling and Risk Management. Gary holds a BSc. in Financial Mathematics & Economics from NUIG, a fellowship with the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (FIA) and is a Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst (CERA).

Gary is an Oranmore native where he also currently resides. He has previously led fundraising projects in aid of disability and cancer support organisations.  He is really interested in working on data analysis to help us  better understand our business, and what we need to do to increase the numbers of successful job placements  for our clients

EmployAbility Galway Board Appointment - Bill Griffin

We are delighted to have Bill Griffin CEO of Galway Simon join our Board.  Bill has formerly worked in clinical and managerial roles of organisations  that support people with intellectual disabilities.  He has a big interest in working on  the development of the supported employment model to include groups such as those in recovery from addiction. He sees the model as benefiting the population that Galway Simon serves. He hopes, as a Board member, to help in the further development of EmployAbility Galway and the extension of its quality support to a wider group within Galway City and County

Bill has worked in the field of human services since 1976 in England and Ireland. He trained in England as a nurse for people with intellectual disabilities and as a general nurse. He worked in community settings and managed a project that enabled adults with ID to move from institutional care and take up a life in local communities. Following a move back to Ireland he completed an MSC in Rehabilitation Studies in UCD in 2004. 

The philosophy that has underpinned his career is one of disenfranchised people being supported to play a meaningful role within society and to exercise their rights as members of that society.

Winners of Supported Employment Service of the Year 2013

We were really excited last week to bring the award for Supported Employment Service of the Year 2013 to Galway.  We were presented our award by Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton TD,  at the Irish Association of Supported Employment (IASE) National Best Practice Awards ceremony which was held at a special awards ceremony in  City Hall, Dublin, on Tuesday, December 3.  

We have put a lot of hard work into continuous improvement over the last few years  so it was really great to have that recognised at the awards ceremony.  

A big thank you to everyone that gave us their vote and to IASE who organise the awards. 

EmployAbility Galway announced overall winners of Gradam Sheosaimh Uí Ógartaigh 2012

We have always recognised that clear communication is really important for our clients.  We were delighted to have Roisin McDonagh join our team in 2009 and provide a full seirbhís trí Gaeilge to job seekers and employers whose first language was Irish.  Straight away we signed up as members of Gaillimh le Gaeilge to join in the other businesses and organisations that support the Irish Language in Galway.

Well one thing leads to another, and in 2010 we entered Gradam Sheosaimh Uí Ógartaigh for the first time.  We were really excited to make it to the final that year, and the following two years.  However we won our category this year, and were over the moon to be announced the overall winner of the prestigious Gradam for 2012

The above picture shows Roisin being presented with the Gradam by Minister Dinny McGinley at the Glenlo Abbey Hotel.  Íontach ar fad chepamid!