26 year old Bangor man Robert Bell proves how the Steps to Work programme could provide your route to employment having landed his dream job at one of Northern Ireland’s leading renewable energy companies, thanks to the initiative.

Robert, who successfully completed the programme last month through South Eastern Regional College, has gained full time employment with Lisburn based renewable energy company Solmatix, after impressing them with his performance and his hard work ethic during his Steps to Work placement.

Robert started at the company in October, initially as a trainee installer and was shortly trained in a number of courses including general first aid, working at heights, manual handling and the installation of bespoke solar mounting systems. It wasn't long before Robert was given more opportunities, including kit building, roof works, and commercial installations and servicing. Once again, this enabled Robert to develop further skills including job planning, problem solving and working on live sites, the variety of which Robert really enjoys.

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Robert, who is profoundly deaf, is hugely grateful for the opportunity he has been given and explained: "Steps to Work has worked for me. It has given me the opportunity to get a paid job. I really appreciate the support from SERC in helping me find this job. I was elated when I was offered the role and am so grateful for the high quality training which has opened up this great opportunity and enhanced my practical abilities, self-esteem and my own confidence. It's really turned my life around.

"I would especially like to thank Solmatix Managing Director Richard Bell, who made special provision for my needs to assist me with the job and ensure health and safety on site was paramount at all times, with the provision of specialist alarms."

Solmatix Senior Engineer Jock Armstrong explains: "We offered Robert an opportunity to work with us through the Steps to Work programme and were that impressed by him that we decided to offer him permanent employment.

"After hearing about the programme I was initially interested in what it had to offer and, with limited resources we were reluctant to recruit additional staff. The programme provided us with an alternative to traditional costly recruitment options and it was of great advantage to find someone that was trained in our specific field of work and actively looking for employment. I would definitely recommend the Steps to Work Programme to other companies. It has provided us with a very suitable employee who has shown himself to be reliable, capable and very hard working."

(CD/MH)