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Habitat Ireland’s social enterprise and the Ballymena-based business are partnering to offer more local people a pathway into employment.
Habitat for Humanity Ireland and Dougies Goodies are working together to support local people into permanent employment.
Habitat ReStore, the charity’s social enterprise, is the low-cost DIY store that builds sustainable community and directly tackles poverty locally. By selling new and used building and home improvement materials ReStore helps local people to improve their homes at low cost and diverted more than 1,600 tons of reusable waste from landfill last year.
ReStore also provides skills and employability training and is focused on providing a clear pathway to employment for individuals of all backgrounds and abilities including many considered “hard to reach” with learning difficulties, mental health challenges, offending histories or long-term unemployment.
ReStore Ballymena Manager, Isobel Kerr, said, “The opportunity to partner with Dougies Goodies has enabled ReStore to create more opportunities for volunteers to transition into permanent employment. Partnerships like these will deepen the impacts of our OCN-accredited training and enable more local people to gain valuable skills and experience.”
Lucy Carlile, Business Development & HR at Dougies Goodies said, “When we were first introduced to Adam and Emily we knew they’d be a great fit for our business, and we’re absolutely delighted to have them as part of our amazing and growing team.”
Now, thanks to this partnership, two local people have secured permanent employment at Dougies Goodies. Adam and Emily have both volunteered at ReStore Ballymena for several years, with a combined 3,500 hours.
Emily said, "I’m really excited to start my new job at Dougies. All my volunteering at ReStore has helped me to learn new skills and become more confident, so I feel ready to try something new and can’t wait to get started. This whole experience has been me feel like I have a purpose and I can't wait to keep learning and growing at Dougies."
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