OnePageCRM donation for life

When you ask any of the team here nowadays what is the best thing about working at EmployAbility Galway, they will probably tell you OnePageCRM.  We used to spend loads of time writing and typing memos, creating excel sheets so we could work together on job searches and keep information up to date.  No more!

Michael Fitzgerald from OnePageCRM decided a few months ago to donate us a free OnePageCRM account for life, because he really likes what we do and wants to make it easier for us to find jobs for people with disabilities.  Thanks Michael!  We have been testing it out over the last few months to see how it works for us.

Putting it plainly, OnePageCRM rocks!  We have saved so much time, and cut out so much of the work that adds no value.  We are able to concentrate on getting things done, and follow a list of actions without distractions.  We don't know how we ever managed without it.

And to answer the important question does it work?  Absolutely, 38 people placed between Jan and May of this year, need we say more!  If you are a non profit check out OnePageCRM Power of Action Program which is a FREE OnePageCRM account for qualifying Non Profits

Recent Appointment

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Charlene Butler who has joined our team of Employment Facilitators today.  Charlene holds a BA in English and History, from NUI Galway.  She enjoys getting people to discover and realise their employment potential. Charlene is an integral part of the community highlighted by her voluntary work with Simon Community and Foróige's Big Brother Big Sister programme.  She thrives on continuous learning and development and was recently elected to the executive board of Foróige National Council.  She believes Value is paramount and practises this philosophy to benefit both the employer and the employee. Charlene's client base is in Galway City.

You can contact Charlene at 087 616 9691 or charlene@employabilitygalway.ie 

NSAI Certification 2014

It's great to get an early Christmas present!  We were delighted to get official notice today that the national network of 23 EmployAbility companies funded by Department of Social Protection have received NSAI Excellence Through People accreditation.   A sample of the companies around the country were assessed with the final assessment carried out in the Galway offices which included an assessment of  EmployAbility Galway and our colleagues in Roscommon.  

The above picture shows a  group of the team members from Galway and Roscommon with Eugene  from NSAI at the EmployAbility Galway offices in Galway Technology Centre on the day of our assessment earlier this month 

RECENT APPOINTMENT

We are delighted to announce the appointment of JP Kavanagh as our Part -time Accounting Administrator. JP's background is working as an accounting and payroll technician in the SME sector. He holds a B.comm (Hons) and is a qualified IATI accounting & payroll technician. JP is currently completing ACCA professional examinations. He is also very active as a volunteer in the community.  

You can contact JP at 091 755 235 or jp@employabilitygalway.ie

Offical Opening of new offices

There was a lot of early morning excitement at  Galway Technology Centre, Mervue Business Park, Wellpark Road, Galway on Monday 24th of November 2014, when we took over the mezzanine area to celebrate the opening of our fab new offices at Unit 9A.  We were joined by so many people who have supported us over the years, including clients, employers, recruitment companies and representatives from political and business communities in Galway.  We had a fabulous turnout with about 80 to 100 people attending and we were delighted to have so many of our new neighbours popping by as well.  

We had two fantastic ladies speak on the morning  to whom we are really grateful.  

Amanda Gibbons is the HR Manager with Nestors SuperValu and she spoke about their working relationship with us from an employers perspective.  Nestors are fantastic employers who have been a joy to work with over the years since 2006.  Thank you Amanda !

Rosemary Sweeney is one of our clients who spoke about how work has changed her life.  Rosemary was able to reach the audience with the personal story of her journey in a way that we never could.  Thank you Rosemary !

We are also really grateful to Derek Nolan TD and the local team at Department of Social Protection who worked together to get Minister of State at Department of Social Protection Kevin Humphrey’s TD to attend and officially open 9A .  We were really chuffed when  the  Minister later spoke to Galway Bay FM’s Keith Finnegan describing us as  “a template for success and an ideal example of the standard we should expect from similar services around the country” and that he hoped what he had experienced today could be used around the rest of Ireland as a roadmap for success.  The full press release is available here

Most of all we would really like to thank our Board for all the time they have given voluntarily to us over the years and for all the support they gave us on the morning.  

EmployAbility Galway move to Galway Technology Centre

Thanks so much to the Department of Social Protection who have supported our move into the Galway Technology Centre this week.  We are just in the process of unpacking and settling in and already we love it here.  Our unit 9A is just a perfect size for us all to fit comfortably and the building is so bright and friendly we don't know ourselves.  It will make a big difference for clients coming to visit us and everyone we have told is really looking forward to meeting us here.

The move puts us in a business focused environment and gives us a very professional work setting for the team.  The centre is really well set up to accommodate the needs of a small company like ours, with loads of little break out areas, communal meeting rooms, and great canteen facilities.  The  403 bus route from the city centre stops just outside on the Wellpark Road so we are easy to find and reach.  Clients can bring in their own laptops and avail of the WiFi throughout the centre.  

Thanks to all our new neighbours, and in particular the GTC team which includes the Board, the manager Niamh and Anne Marie and Cathy who look after administration and accounts.  

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.