Business

110 jobs on offer ahead of 'positive year' for NI employment

Employment minister Dr Stephen Farry launches the third Financial Services Academy, with Claire Brennan and Stephen Shaw, FinTrU
Employment minister Dr Stephen Farry launches the third Financial Services Academy, with Claire Brennan and Stephen Shaw, FinTrU Employment minister Dr Stephen Farry launches the third Financial Services Academy, with Claire Brennan and Stephen Shaw, FinTrU

IT'S billed as one of the most depressing weeks of the year . . . but there is cheer for job-seekers today with various employers announcing 110 new positions.

There are 40 jobs at security at Belfast International Airport while 20 positions are available the north's Financial Services Academy.

Meanwhile Newtownbreda activity centre We Are Vertigo is adding 25 jobs following an expansion and another 25 jobs are on offer at a new "high-end" day care nursery in Newtownards.

News of the positions comes as business body CBI predicts "a bright year" for Northern Ireland's young people with 42 per cent of employers seeking to add permanent staff in 2016, many of them apprenticeships.

Aviation security company ICTS is creating 40 new jobs at Aldergrove linked to growth at the airport through the arrival of Ryanair.

The jobs will pay just over £16,000 and will bring the company's Belfast workforce to 250.

The company's operations director Jim Finegan said it was "the most exciting period of growth" for the firm since arriving at the airport in 2000.

“It’s wonderful to be on a recruitment drive. Growth at the airport means greater demand for our professional aviation security services. It’s a win-win for all," he said.

Twenty graduate bank jobs are available at the latest incarnation of the Financial Services Academy, a partnership between the Department for Employment and Learning and FinTru.

FinTrU provides outsourced financial services and has Centre of Excellence based in Belfast.

The academy will target graduates holding at least a 2:2 in any degree discipline and previous experience in the sector is not required.

Stephen Shaw, head of FinTrU's Belfast Centre of Excellence said it provided "a unique opportunity to prepare for a dynamic career in financial services in Northern Ireland".

The new jobs at We Are Vertigo are possible as it spends £100,000 on a ski-themed restaurant.

Since opening the centre in 2013, owners Gareth and Lorna Murphy have invested £2m in the venture.

"Our customers, whether they’re visiting as a family or here with business as part of a corporate event, can now enjoy a unique, bespoke experience at We Are Vertigo with the addition of our new chalet-style licensed restaurant, annexed to the adventure centre," they said.

"This facility is available for a meal for two, family dinner or private hire reinforces our commitment to providing an unrivalled away-day for the business community and the thousands of families who choose We Are Vertigo as their favourite day out together."

On Belfast Road, Newtownards, £750,000 - supported by Ulster Bank - is being spent on ikids, a new high-tech nursery for around 80 children.

The facility, operated by local business family the McErleans, incorporates an IT suite, a study and homework room, and underfloor heating.

Nick McErlean said it was aimed at "busy parents who need a high-quality, full-service day-care nursery for their children. For instance, we have employed two classroom assistants from a private school to help with homework."

The new jobs support the findings of the latest CBI/Accenture Employment Trends Survey.

It found more than half of companies in the north expect to grow their workforce this year.

Forty-two per cent of respondents plan to increase their permanent posts while 16 per cent will add temporary workers/

Meanwhile, 37 per cent expect to increase their apprenticeship intake and 28 per cent will recruit higher numbers of graduates.

CBI Northern Ireland director Nigel Smyth said businesses were "gearing up for a positive 2016".

"Young people should find more chances to get a foot on the career ladder this year, with many firms looking to boost their intake of graduates and apprentices. Growth should work for everyone, and raising skills is the key route to ensuring this happens through improved productivity and pay," he said.