Aileen and Yovonne sparkle at UK awards

Aileen Graham, from GEMS NI, won the coveted UK Careers Guidance Practitioner of the Year Award and Yvonne Leslie, a Careers Adviser for Careers Service NI, Department for Employment and Learning in Ballymoney, also received recognition for her work in career planning.

Aileen is employed by GEMS NI and works on the South Belfast Local Employment Intermediary Service (LEMIS) programme which is funded by the Department for Employment and Learning. It provides tailored assistance to help unemployed people find and hold on to a job.

Aileen’s work in LEMIS in reducing social exclusion and providing impartial employment advice was nationally recognized at the Institute of Careers Guidance (ICG) Annual Conference held in Blackpool earlier this month.

Sir Reg Empey, Minister for Employment and Learning congratulated both Aileen and Yvonne on their success: “Aileen’s award is a fantastic accolade for my Department’s LEMIS initiative, for GEMS NI and for careers guidance practice in Northern Ireland.

“To see the skills and expertise of my Department’s staff, such as Yvonne’s, recognized at a national level is a great achievement. With the current economic downturn my Department will continue to provide a first-class Careers Service which is committed to providing support and guidance for the unemployed of all ages across Northern Ireland.”

Yvonne’s recognition was based on her career guidance work using an assessment tool called MAPS (Measuring Attitude, Aptitude and Personal Style). With MAPS, Yvonne helps her clients identify career themes best suited to them. Each year, JCA Occupational Psychologists, owner of MAPS, offers a 750 bursary for clients who best demonstrate that they have made significant personal development through activities involving MAPS.

Yvonne submitted several nominees and two of these nominations were successful. This is the second year that she has had a client who has been successful in winning a bursary.