Young mother helps launch educational programme

A JOBSTOWN mother of three helped to launch an educational programme for young women and disadvantaged young people in An Cosán.

Sarah Jane Deegan, 26, shared the impact that Coca-Cola HBC’s Youth Empowered Programme had on her, when speaking at the launch on Friday.

Youth Empowered is run in partnership with An Cosán and YouthAction Northern Ireland and aims to bridge the gap in support for women and disadvantaged youths aged 16 to 30, who are transitioning back to learning or onwards into the workplace.

They do this by providing free life and business skills courses to young people across the island of Ireland, with Sarah Jane having recently completed a six-week return-to-learning course.

Sarah Jane said: “I’ve been out of education for over three years, and I wanted to better my life for myself and my children.

“This was the first step. I loved going into class in the mornings and my kids loved going into Early Years, which was a fully funded support service run onsite, so I could just focus on the course work.

“The whole experience has really increased my confidence and with the skills I’ve learned over the past six weeks, I’m hoping now to start a Level 5 Business Administration with Digital Skills course in September.”

The positive impact of the course on participants was also highlighted by An Cosán’s CEO, Heydi Foster, who said there are plans to make the course available to more people in the community.

“We’re delighted to be part of this year’s Coca-Cola HBC Youth Empowered programme,” she said, “and through the funding provided to be making the ‘Return to Learning’ courses available to more young women in our local community.

“We know from recent CSO figures that young women are still more likely than their male counterparts to become long-term unemployed as a result of the recent Covid-19 disruption.

“This programme is designed to help participants overcome barriers to education or employment, empowering participants with the skills they need to return to learning and the confidence to re-enter the workforce.”

Minister for Social Protection, Community and Rural Development, Heather Humphreys TD, was also in attendance at the launch and praised the work done by Youth Empowered learners.

“I’m delighted to be here in An Cosán to officially launch the 2022 Youth Empowered programme,” she said.

“This initiative aligns with Government’s Pathways to Work strategy which aims to remove barriers to employment through training and education.

“It provides a real and tangible example of the private sector working hand in hand with the voluntary sector to support the national shared objective of driving economic growth, promoting inclusion for all and supporting young people into sustainable employment.

“I’d like to congratulate all the learners who are taking the first step towards employment by undertaking this course and I hope that with the guidance of An Cosán and the mentors from Coca-Cola HBC, Youth Empowered will be a stepping stone to a new career pathway for you all.

For more information about the 2022 #YouthEmpowered programme and to get involved visit the programme website HERE.