Belfast City Council

Last chance to apply for our Social Economy Incentive Fund! It provides funding of between £1,000 and £10,000 to support new or developing social economy businesses in their early growth stages, or those keen to begin trading in the next six months. Sara McCracken from Empatheyes.Vision told us how the previous support she received through the fund has helped grow her business and support those with visual impairments. Apply online at https://lnkd.in/e8-yX3Ns by 5pm on Friday 1 November. #BusinessGrowth #BelfastBusiness #SocialEconomy #GoSocial #SocialEnterprise

Our latest employability initiative is the first in Northern Ireland to offer dedicated support to help international doctors become registered and licenced to practise in the city. Eleven experienced medical professionals have recently completed the English Language Support Academy for Medics, funded by our council, together with the Belfast Labour Market Partnership. The course helps doctors to re-qualify to UK standards, as specified by the General Medical Council (GMC), and provides support to prepare for an advanced English Language test and medical exams with the Professional Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB). Thanks to our partners at Queen's University Belfast, the REACHE Project, Manchester, Belfast Metropolitan College, Klick2Learn and local healthcare agencies - including Health and Social Care NI, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, the Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency, NI Practice and Education Council for Nursing and Midwifery and the Department of Health (International Recruitment) - for providing valuable expertise and support for this important project. #Employability #Skills #EmploymentAcademies #Belfast #CityOfSanctuary

If you'd like to work for us, check out our latest vacancies below. 🔵 City Innovation Manager 🔵 Senior Digital Consultant 🔵 Category Officer 🔵 Cemetery Attendant 🔵 HR Support Assistant 🔵 Project Support Administrator (Climate) 🔵 Project Support Officer (PEACEPLUS) 🔵 Senior Marketing and Brand Manager We have a number of other vacancies closing to applicants at 4pm on Monday 28 October: 🔵 Property and Legal Coordinator 🔵 Assistant Planning Officer 🔵 Fleet Team Leader 🔵 Programme Manager (Local Energy Systems) 🔵 Recycling Centre Supervisor 🔵 Programme Coordinator (Enterprise Support Service) 🔵 Zookeeper 🔵 Good Relations Support Officer 🔵 Business Coordinator (HR and Administration) 🔵 Intelligent Client Function Technical Support Officer For more information on each role, visit our website: https://ow.ly/CJO250SP3oX #BelfastJobs #NIJobs #LocalGovJobs

Ahead of our next Belfast Business Promise learning day tomorrow (Thursday 24 October) at Girdwood Hub, we’re pleased that our council has become one of the first organisations to achieve Member status. Next stop – Ambassador! Read more about our pledge programme, aimed at employers who want to create a more inclusive and sustainable city, and see how you can get involved at https://ow.ly/5pVt50TQR4N #Sustainability #Inclusivity #BelfastBusinessPromise

Work has started on phase two of the Black Mountain Shared Space project at the former Finlay’s factory site in west Belfast. The new building will include eight office units where grassroots community organisations will base themselves, creating a hub where they can work together on joint projects, broaden their outreach, and address major local issues caused by decades of segregation. It follows the opening of the £7 million PEACE IV-funded Black Mountain Shared Space on the same site in the summer. Over 70 metres of peace wall will have been removed from the site when this phase of the project is completed. The project will be delivered by the council thanks to funding from International Fund for Ireland, the Department for Communities and the Department of Justice NI. Read more: https://ow.ly/FGPp50TQMqX #SharedSpace #SharedFuture #PEACE #Reconciliation #Regeneration

Managing cashflow when you're just starting off in business can be one of the biggest challenges, along with gathering genuine feedback about your products and services. That's where our test trading scheme comes in - it offers new or start-up entrepreneurs the opportunity to showcase their business to real customers, try out sales and marketing tactics and assess the demand for what you're selling. After a successful pilot at St George's Market, where we've supported 18 start-ups so far this year, our programme is now expanding city-wide, starting with the Kennedy Centre in west Belfast. Businesses can check eligibility and apply now at https://ow.ly/B3M650TPz3i to sell their wares for free at this busy destination, which attracts over 70,000 shoppers per week. Our Enterprise and Business Growth team will also provide you with wraparound support to help develop your venture further and enable you to take the next steps! #BusinessGrowth #BusinessSupport #BelfastBusiness #Enterprise

If you're interested in working for us, we have a number of new vacancies. 🔵Senior Marketing and Brand Manager 🔵Programme Manager (Local Energy Systems) 🔵Zookeeper 🔵Property and Legal Coordinator 🔵Business Coordinator (HR and Administration) 🔵Intelligent Client Function Technical Support Officer 🔵Programme Coordinator (Enterprise Support Service) 🔵Good Relations Support Officer 🔵Fleet Team Leader 🔵Assistant Planning Officer 🔵Recycling Centre Supervisor For more information on each role, visit our website: https://ow.ly/CJO250SP3oX #BelfastJobs #NIJobs #LocalGovJobs

If you own unused upper floor space in #BelfastCityCentre that could be converted for residential living, we want to hear from you! As part of the HOUSE (Homes On Upper Spaces for Everyone) initiative, we're keen to understand the levels of interest and vacancy - as well as the main challenges and enablers - in bringing forward conversion schemes. Find out more and complete our short online form by next Friday, 25 October at: https://ow.ly/gQgJ50TLTqt #YourSayBelfast #BelfastAgenda #CityCentreLiving

Our Social Economy Incentive Fund has helped a wide range of businesses across the city to grow their enterprises further and support more people. For Joan Henderson, Managing Director at Sólás, funding has enabled her organisation with costs related to their new SONA project. “We were delighted to have secured funding to support early 'start up' equipment, as well as marketing and promotional costs for our newly established SONA project,” she said. “SONA is a social enterprise that provides learning and social opportunities for young adults with disabilities leaving school. We now operate five days per week, in a separate facility based in Stranmillis, and this support helped us to purchase sofas, tables, chairs, first aid equipment, storage units and laptops to refurbish our leased premises.” Springfield Charitable Association used their award to take on new staff and expand their services further. “Our award meant we could hire an extra part-time member of staff and extend our opening hours and services,” said Health Hub Manager Adam Ryan. “We increased our hydrotherapy bookings by an average of five per week across the year as a result - our best financial year to date for the hydrotherapy department. I’m certain we would not have been able to achieve this, without the help of Belfast City Council.” And, for Creative Workers’ Cooperative, the fund has helped stabilise their organisation after the Covid-19 pandemic. "The support given by the Social Economy Incentive Fund was hugely beneficial, allowing us to invest in new equipment and revenue streams after a tough few years,” said Gerard Black, Director of Photography. “We are now in a position to offer more services to more clients, which has given us a level of financial stability that wouldn't have been possible otherwise." If you have a new or recently established social enterprise or co-operative and would like to apply for funding of between £1,000 and £10,000, apply by 4pm on Friday 1 November. ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e8-yX3Ns #SocialEnterprise #SocEnt #GoSocial #BuySocial #Cooperatives #BelfastBusiness #BusinessStartUps

Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Micky Murray addressed the Sustain Exchange Summit today. Back for its 4th year, the conference provides a platform for organisations to address sustainability. Last month, in partnership with key stakeholders, Belfast City Council launched the first Local Area Energy Plan in Northern Ireland. This transformational plan charts an affordable pathway to net zero by 2050 while delivering social value for residents. The Sustain Exchange Leadership Summit provides a valuable opportunity to continue to share energy, ideas and motivation which will drive Belfast towards a sustainable future. As we combine our efforts to tackle climate change and drive economic growth, collaboration and innovation are the cornerstones of our transition. #NetZero #Sustainability #Investment #ClimateAction #Belfast