Discover Career Paths Without Leaving Northern Ireland

In this episode of Workplus, host Richard Kirk speaks with Steven Norris, Deputy Director at Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council. Steven shares how his council is bridging the gap between schools and businesses, tackling Northern Ireland’s skills challenges, and helping young people see the rich career opportunities that exist right on their doorstep.

• Schools struggle to showcase the full range of modern career paths
• Work experience helps young people discover local opportunities
• Council’s role in reconnecting schools and businesses after the pandemic
• Volume of job vacancies versus low unemployment in NI
• Widespread lack of awareness about local sectors like engineering and logistics
• Challenges around economic inactivity and intergenerational worklessness
• Council strategies to reach people far from the labour market
• Real-world training that starts with confidence-building, not just qualifications
• Upskilling as a way to unlock entry-level opportunities
• Why purpose and fulfilment at work matter more than ever

BEST MOMENTS

00:01:36. “It came from our engagement with businesses on the ground.”
00:02:44. “All of that had kind of died away as one of the results of the pandemic.”
00:03:10. “We saw an opportunity to get involved in that gap between those two sides.”
00:04:09. “We’ve been so fortunate to have our partnership with Workplus.”
00:05:59. “All of that’s completely untrue, but there’s such an awareness gap of opportunities.”
00:09:17. “How do we lift them? How do we give them confidence?”
00:12:15. “We work with companies really, really closely to understand where the gaps are.”
00:21:04. “If you can bring one person into a job and then a better job, you’re affecting an entire household.”
00:32:07. “It gives people that structure. It gives them something to build a life around.”

🎧 Thanks for listening to Workplus, the podcast that brings real jobs into the light.

🔗 Find more stories, tools, and guides to help young people and returners explore meaningful careers at workplus.app

📩 Know someone who would find this helpful? Share it with a parent, teacher, or future changemaker.

🎙 New episodes every Thursday at 8am. Follow so you never miss a story.

This podcast has been brought to you by APodcastGeek. https://www.apodcastgeek.com