In addition to experiencing and being disadvantaged by general employability issues such as lack of confidence and the ability to market themselves throughout all aspects of the recruitment process, minority ethnic individuals face further barriers to employment including the language barrier, isolation which is further impacted by cultural issues, transferability of skills, work experience and unrealistic expectations, all of which can lead to exploitation and lack of protection by unscrupulous employers and recruitment agencies.

Minority Ethnic individuals who access the service and their families. The Northern Ireland Economy also benefits which in turn impacts on the wider community. Although information on the project is shared with a wide network of organisations the largest group of referrals come through word of mouth from previous clients who refer friends and family members.

MEESP follows a - four-prong approach to deliver and achieve added value: Information Advice and Guidance Service (IAG) - MEESP is a proactive employability service which addresses the barriers to employment experienced by economically inactive minority ethnic groups and disadvantaged economic migrants, the newly arrived and the recently made redundant, delivered through a one-to-one personal guidance and mentoring service that includes:

• A comprehensive employability assessment resulting in the development of tailored employability action plans;
• Access to training, development and volunteering opportunities;
• Access to individual and group learning to improve confidence including access to job vacancies, CV development, application process and interview training;
• Links to employers through GEMS Jobs Matching Service and pre-employment programmes;

“Soft” skills such as increased confidence and self-esteem is reflected in an ability to self-advocate in line with raised career expectations and aspirations. Learning Language for Work (LLFW) English Language Provision through Employability training with ESOL - To support and meet the needs of people coming to live and work in Belfast who experience additional difficulties accessing employment primarily, but not exclusively, in relation to the language barrier, we developed LLFW, an innovative programme which addresses the barriers to employment experienced by minority ethnic groups. The employability programme has been customised to support learning of English language needed to gain employment in the Northern Ireland labour market.

Living in Belfast (LIB) - Integration training that provides an opportunity for recently arrived Minority Ethnic individuals to learn about living, working and getting involved in the community thus helping tackle and reducing social isolation. Transnational, sharing and learning –provide MEESP staff with the opportunity to exchange best practice with European partners.

Participants can gain access to employment, training opportunities, qualifications, increased employability and additional support when in employment There is also the opportunity to share best practice with European partners.

In each year over 130 participants gained support from MEESP with an average of over 80% gaining employment and the remainder going into further and higher education. There are a few clients each year who don't access work due to family care commitments.

Over 60% attend training including English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and other opportunities to improve their employability and employment opportunities.

The project is evaluated through an external evaluator and against the targets agreed with the core funding organisation.

It is testimony to the project and its success that it has secured ESF funding since 2005.

ESF through the Department of Employment and Learning NI provide 65% funding. Match funding has been sought though not yet secured.