Originally published here.

A Belfast man has urged others to never give up hope, after he secured a new paid job at his local Mace.

Michael, who has a learning disability, has been supported by Mencap NI throughout his employment journey. And having taken up the role as customer assistant at the South Belfast store, he is enjoying being a member of the team and earning his own money.

The 27-year-old started at Mace initially as a placement in February 2022 but was soon offered a paid role in March 2022 after showing commitment and hard work. He's described this position as "a perfect job".

He told Belfast Live : "I started at the Mace Store as a placement in February and then was offered a paid job a month later, in March this year. Mencap has helped me to search for placements, jobs and then to apply for paid jobs. They helped me with interview techniques and general employment questions including health and safety training. I love this job.

"It has been great getting a paid job, after not having a placement for so long, because of the Covid pandemic. All the staff have been really friendly and helpful and I am really enjoying helping customers.

"The people I work with at Mace are all so lovely. They made me feel part of the team as soon as I started and they are always happy to help me. It is good to get paid when you work hard and you can buy things that you like."

And in a message to others who may be searching for their dream job, or other milestone in life, Michael said: "Don’t give up. I was waiting a long time to get this job because of Covid and was disappointed a lot, but in the end I found the perfect job for me."

Anna McErlean, Owner of the Mace Store in South Belfast, said when they were about by Mencap about possible work placement for someone in the local community, they thought this would be a great opportunity as their local community is "very much at the heart of our business".

"Donna introduced us to Michael who lives in the local area and he started working a few hours a week, shadowing different departments in store," Anna continued.

"We quickly watched him grow in confidence in the work he was doing and with his colleagues. When a job vacancy arose a few weeks later, Michael was successful in securing a permanent, part time role in store and is now an integral part of our busy day-time team. Employment officer Donna through Mencap, provided a great source of support to us in explaining the placement process and ultimately helping Michael secure permanent employment in store.

"Mencap’s placement programme has been a great success story for our store and we would not hesitate to recommend their services to any retailer."

Rachael McCauley, Mencap NI area operations manager said: "Mencap have lots of experience in helping people with a learning disability to prepare for, find and keep a job. We can help you to think about what types of work you might like to do and set up a work placement for you to develop your skills and get ‘on the job’ training. We also support employers to find the right trainee for a placement or a paid job, so everyone is involved in the process. We are delighted that Michael has secured paid work in Mace and all his hard work has paid off.’"

Donna McGarry, Mencap NI employment officer said: "Since Michael has been supported by Mencap NI, he has been in various placements and jobs before COVID. Since I started working with Michael, he has continued to be positive, despite some setbacks and was rewarded by his new paid job."

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