Sign in My Account
Business news

Success for the Magennis Brothers with Belfast City Council Upskilling Academy

Posted By:
People 1st (DFPF)

2nd Nov 2023

We are thrilled to share William and Patrick Magennis’ remarkable success story. The brothers have achieved an outstanding milestone in their careers with the support of Belfast City Council’s Upskilling Academy and their employer, Kids Together Belfast.

William and Patrick, who share a genuine passion for working with children with special needs, embarked on their professional journey as support workers with Kids Together, a local organisation specialising in early years, after-school programmes, youth groups, and adults with complex needs. The Magennis brothers initially completed their Level 3 qualification in Health and Social Care through the Apprenticeships programme with People 1st, all while gaining valuable hands-on experience working alongside the dedicated team at Kids Together.

When the opportunity arose to participate in the Belfast City Council Upskilling Academy, William and Patrick seized it eagerly. Having advanced from support worker to team leaders in their organisation, they were keen to further their careers in supervisory roles, and the academy provided them with the perfect pathway to achieve this goal.

Following their successful completion of the academy and achieving their Level 5 qualification in Health and Social Care, we are thrilled to announce that both of these talented brothers have been promoted to supervisory positions at Kids Together. This is a fantastic opportunity for career progression, not only for William and Patrick, but also for their employer, as they will benefit greatly from this achievement too.  “As an organisation and on a personal level we are so proud of William and Patrick and how far they have come. Their commitment to upskilling, with the guidance from People 1st staff, whilst working full time is a credit to them both. Kids Together are very fortunate to have William and Patrick as part of our ever growing team and the skills and knowledge gained from the Level 3 and 5 Health and Social Care have empowered them to become super supervisors and mentors for their teams.” Pamela Hughes, Kids Together Belfast.

As Patrick explains, he feels that this training is his real vocation in life as he enjoys it so much and has had a brilliant journey up to this point:

“After leaving school, I went to work as a classroom assistant in special needs and found my passion! After completing my Level 3 in Health and Social Care, I was delighted to be able to progress with Belfast City Council and the Up-skilling Academy to gain my Level 5 Management qualification.  I feel that a clear career path has been opened to me by completing this Academy and after up-skilling, I have been able to take on a higher-level management position at Kids Together. Supporting young people with disabilities is extremely rewarding and I want to encourage and support other young males to consider this pathway as a career.”

Councillor Clíodhna Nic Bhranair, Chair of Belfast City Council’s City Growth and Regeneration Committee said: “It’s fantastic to hear of the success William and Patrick have had after completing our Upskilling Academy. We’re passionate about supporting our residents to develop the skills they need to secure quality employment in the city. We’ve made a commitment in The Belfast Agenda to support inclusive growth by providing free training, enabling people to apply for roles they otherwise wouldn’t be equipped to do. And Belfast’s children are also benefitting – particularly those with Special Education Needs. Congratulations William and Patrick – we wish you every continued success.’’

We extend heartfelt thanks to Belfast City Council and the Kids Together Belfast team for their unwavering support of this incredible and life-changing initiative. We also want to thank the Academy team in People 1st for all their hard work on this programme. Keep an eye out on our social media channels for news of upcoming up-skilling academies, as we anticipate more inspiring success stories like this one!

Congratulations to William and Patrick, and we all wish them the very best on their future pathways!