Communities Minister Gordon Lyons visits NOW Group in Belfast
Communities Minister visits NOW Group's Belfast office to discuss delivering disability employment at scale.
NOW Group welcomed Communities Minister Gordon Lyons to its Belfast office to discuss how specialist employment services can support the Department for Communities’ ambitions to help more people with disabilities into paid work, sustain employment and progress in their careers.
The Minister met the NOW Group participants and team, heard about its delivery model and discussed opportunities to align its established programmes and employer partnerships with the Department’s priorities.
The Department’s disability employment agenda aims to tackle barriers to work and increase the number of disabled people entering and remaining in employment. NOW Group believes specialist providers play a key role in turning that ambition into practical outcomes for individuals, employers and the wider economy.
NOW Group delivers a range of specialist programmes supporting people with disabilities to prepare for work, gain qualifications, secure paid employment and build sustainable careers. Its model combines tailored individual support with direct employer engagement to help businesses recruit inclusively and create workplaces where people can thrive.
Discussions focused on four priorities:
Supporting more people into paid employment through clear pathways from education, training and pre-employment support into real jobs.
Providing tailored, specialist support based on individual strengths, ambitions and barriers.
Working with employers to recruit inclusively, widen their talent pool and build confidence and capability.
Sustaining employment and progression through ongoing support beyond recruitment.
With services across every council area, NOW Group has an established delivery footprint across Northern Ireland with plans to open its latest office in Derry/Londonderry in early 2027. The organisation wants to build on this experience by working collaboratively with the Department to extend the reach and impact of specialist employment support.
Maeve Monaghan, CEO of NOW Group, said:
“We were delighted to welcome Minister Lyons to our Belfast office and show him how our teams help people with disabilities move into paid employment.
“We welcome the Department’s ambition to increase disability employment. This can only be done by working collaboratively, turning that ambition into real jobs, sustainable careers and better outcomes for people and employers.
“We know what it takes to support someone into work, help an employer recruit inclusively and put the right support in place for people to stay and progress. By aligning our expertise with the Department’s priorities, we can reach more people and deliver measurable progress across Northern Ireland.
“Government cannot achieve this alone. By bringing together policy, specialist employment support and employers ready to act, we can unlock talent, address economic inactivity and create more jobs with a future for people with disabilities.”
Minister Gordon Lyons said , “I welcome the work NOW Group is doing to support people with disabilities and health conditions into employment. Specialist providers play an important role in helping people overcome barriers to work and supporting employers to build more inclusive workplaces.
“Our ambition is to ensure more disabled people can access meaningful paid employment, remain in work and progress in their careers. Working with organisations that have practical experience of supporting both individuals and employers will be important as we continue to develop our approach to disability employment.”
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