Posted 27.05.2020

Laura has been part of the Disability Action team for 6 years and currently helps disabled people find paid employment in her role as Job Match Supported Employment Officer. When Laura isn’t working, she is usually thinking of fun things to do with her young son Noah, Bruno her chocolate labrador and catching up with family and friends. 

Hi, my name is Laura Loane and I am currently the Job Match Supported Employment Officer (SEO) for the Omagh, Enniskillen and Dungannon areas. In this role I support disabled people to find paid work in their local area and in a sector they are interested in.  I also work closely with employers to establish positive open relationships to break down the barriers to employment for disabled people.  I have been working with Disability Action for 6 years and before working on Job Match I worked in the wider Employment and Training team within the Workable NI and TFS Programmes.

My days as a SEO vary from one day to the next: Some days I am focusing on my participants-meeting them face to face to help with job searching, completing applications, goal setting etc; helping them access other services which are appropriate for them at that time.  Other days I am engaging with employers, going out to site to meet with them and have a walk around premises and to discuss what measures they can take to help improve their recruitment processes, accessibility and what job opportunities they have at present.  I love seeing how people progress through the programme, how their confidence in themselves and their abilities improves and helping people achieve goals that they never thought they could achieve - this doesn’t only come through finding people a job but also helping them access services/ further training opportunities.

The most exciting thing I have done to date: It's been working with a local employer and participant to create a paid employment opportunity - for which they received recognition by being nominated for and winning a Construction Employers Federation Construction Excellence 'Buy Social' Award, recognising their hard work and commitment to employing and creating opportunities for disabled people. It was great that I got to attend the black-tie awards ceremony and even better that the employer won the award!

    

I would recommend Job Match to any disabled person seeking paid employment: We offer personalised support from a dedicated SEO like myself. We are goal focussed and can help an individual to access other services.  We can help people access employment via job trial instead of interview or reasonable adjustments and provide support for both the Job Match participant and the employer when in work.

Continuing to provide the Job Match service during COVID-19:During COVID-19 I have been working remotely from home.  I have been in touch with all my participants to ensure they are ok during this time I do this Via Phone, email, Skype and Zoom calls.  I have also been available for any employers that have had any issues due to the recent pressures.  Every week I try to develop a resource for my participants to ensure they are continuing to develop and grow, so far I have completed resources around Managing Mental Health and Stress, Confidence Building and CV development.  I have also been completing Flick learning training courses to ensure my own personal professional development.

If you would like to learn more about how Job Match can help you and live in the Omagh, Enniskillen and Dungannon areas, contact Laura by phone or email.

Mobile: 07483 981222

Email: [email protected]

Go to our Job Match page to find out more about Job Match in general.