Kare's Project SEARCH programme with Naas General Hospital has been recognised for championing diversity and inclusion in the workplace. This award, for achieving an above 70% job outcome rate, recognises Kare's commitment to helping young adults with intellectual disability successfully enter full-time employment.
Kare's Project SEARCH initiative is a collaboration with Naas General Hospital which has been running since 2013. It provides young adults with an intellectual disability the opportunity to gain hands-on work experience and pursue their career goals by completing work placements in the hospital with dedicated job coaching and support from Kare staff. Participants engage in a year-long internship programme based at the hospital that supports them to gain a broad range of skills and prepare them for the workforce.
This initiative led by Kare and NGH is the first Project SEARCH model in the Republic of Ireland. Since its inception it has welcomed 116 students, with 72% securing paid employment upon program completion, significantly surpassing the national average employment rate for people with intellectual disabilities which is 6%.
Speaking to delegates during the Award Ceremony, Kirsty Matthews, Chief Executive of DFN Project SEARCH said: “I am thrilled to be able to celebrate our award winners at our conference this year. These awards recognise those extraordinary individuals and organisations that are leading the charge to change the status quo, getting more young people into meaningful sustainable employment. Today’s award winners are truly unstoppable, and we salute them.”
The award was presented by UK charity DFN Project SEARCH at their annual conference at the end of 2024, where organisations who run Project SEARCH programmes came together to share experiences and ideas.
The theme for the conference, “Don’t Stop Me Now”, is part of the charity’s latest campaign to challenge stereotypes and dispel myths surrounding employment for young adults with learning disabilities, calling for more access to high-quality supported employment programmes, such as supported internships, in every local authority.