Opportunity Knocks but it also costs

There is an assumption that Northern Ireland is not experiencing the battering of recession currently being experienced by our close neighbours here and across the shuck. We are certainly not a safe haven and it has to be remembered that our starting point in terms of productivity, skills and employment and in particular the highest levels of economic inactivity (call it long-term unemployment in a yellow mac and sou'wester) which sit at circa 27% of the working population and are more like 50-65% in some of the most deprived areas in Belfast.

Hence we have a push and pull - the push, well more of a gentle nudge really, given the needs profile of the folks we work with and the personal, social and emotional employment barriers we are working with them to address and the pull - ensuring we work our little cotton socks off to ensure that the newly unemployed are not a feeder into a shiny new category of 'New long-term unemployed' both present similar challenges but need a different approach to dealing with issues of confidence and self-esteem; those in door marked 'Push' require help and the dignity of risk to build theirs and at the same time access to employment and training opportunities and lots of one-to-one mentoring support. Those in the door market 'Pull' require help to retain their skills, confidence and self-esteem and at the same time receive support to market themselves in the current labour market. Sounds similar? it might be and we have staff with the skills to work with both - unfortunately we don't have the resources to work with all.

That is the dilemma without support the Pull will become the Push and the Push will be pushed further back.

I had the opportunity following yesterday's blog and by sheer coincidence to write a piece for the evening paper. My thrust was asking our NI Executive to demonstrate leadership and innovation in giving organisations like mine and dedicated, experienced people like my colleagues the resources and flexibility to both push and pull - otherwise we all might as well shove off.