Minister Dara Calleary Visits NOW Group in Belfast to Celebrate JAM Card Partnership and Employment Ambitions

Dara Calleary, Minister for Social Protection, Chris Brown (CEO of Connor & Brown) NOW Group Board Member, and Maeve Monaghan, CEO of NOW Group

NOW Group was delighted to welcome Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary to its Belfast headquarters this week, following the Department’s recent announcement that it has become a JAM Card friendly organisation.

Minister Calleary was greeted by NOW Group Chief Executive Maeve Monaghan and Chief Services Officer Sean Hanna. The visit marked a significant milestone in the partnership between NOW Group and the Department for Social Protection, which has trained over 2,900 staff to recognise and respond to JAM Cards and gave Minister Calleary the opportunity to hear about the Employment services NOW Group provides for participants with learning difficulties, Autism and Neurodiversity across the island.

During his visit, Minister Calleary met participants from NOW Group’s Loaf Catering Academy, including Oisín, who is seeking a barista role while working on his first screenplay, and another participant who was preparing for his first shift at Lavery’s Bar in Belfast that evening.

The Minister also heard from participants on NOW’s Data Analytics programme and met a representative from Danske Bank, where a partnership that began with JAM Card awareness has now led to seven participants securing paid employment across a range of roles within the bank.

Maeve Monaghan, CEO of NOW Group, said:

“We were delighted to welcome Minister Calleary to NOW Group. He said he wanted to visit — and he has done just that. It was a great opportunity to show him our model in action and share our plans to roll it out across the island of Ireland. Our ambition is to support 6,000 people into jobs with a future over the next three years.”

Minister Calleary praised the work of NOW Group, stating:

“What Meave and the team are doing at the NOW Group is impressive and inspiring. The ambition to support people with additional needs into meaningful employment, where their skills are truly seen and valued, is an ambition that I share and bring to my role as Minister for Social Protection. I wish NOW Group every success as they expand across the island of Ireland.”

NOW Group continues to champion diversity and equality through innovative training, employment programmes, and partnerships with public and private sector organisations.  More information about our services available at www.nowgroup.org