About Employability Service West Cork

The Company is managed by a Voluntary Board of Directors. The Board of Directors are made up of members of the wider community from throughout West Cork.

Employability Service West Cork is one of 23 Supported Employment organizations in operation throughout the country. We provide an employment service, providing local employers with quality staff while also supporting people into employment who are recovering from an illness, injury or any other type of disability.

We are proven experts in providing employment supports to a diverse range of people with a wide range of backgrounds from entry level to management, part time or full time, permanent or relief staff, from early school leavers, leaving certificate to PhDs who wish to gain meaningful employment.

The Company is funded by the Department of Social Protection. Employability Service West Cork Board and staff continually strive to build awareness of our service outlining the benefits of supporting people with a disability into employment to employers, community organizations, schools and many other forums throughout West Cork.

The company currently has 5 offices in operation supporting our clients in Bantry, Skibbereen, Clonakilty, Bandon and Kinsale – two outreach offices one in Dunmanway and one in Castletownbere. Since 2011 over 1000 people have secured employment within our service.

Darren Priest

A qualified Career Coach (MSc from the University of East London) and has a Masters in Occupational Health Psychology (MSc from the University of Nottingham).

These give insight into the effects of un(der)employment on the individual and provides tools that can help develop a solutions focused way forward for his clients.

He is an enthusiast for Brief Solution Focused Coaching and utilises his training at the world leading BRIEF Centre in London in support of his clients.

Having worked abroad for twenty years, and gaining a Post Graduate Teaching Diploma on the way, he has trained public, multinational and government clients in soft skills and language use.

In Cork he has taught at UCC and was part of the small team that delivered the JobFit programme. JobFit exceeded ambitious government targets set in helping those distant from the labour market to re-join the labour force. He is currently a Job Coach in West Cork and continues to support clients towards the future they want.

Emer Sweeney

A qualified Social Care Worker (BA. Hons) and has a MA. In Criminology.

Having worked for many years as a front-line social care worker, working in residential services, addiction and domestic violence to name a few.

Emer went on to study for her MA in UCC. Upon completion, Emer was asked to join the Criminology team in UCC. During her time, Emer developed and taught a module to BA. Criminology students.

It was during this time, Emer was tasked with undertaking the role as student support/ personal tutor. This developed an interest in coaching and motivational approaches. This led to a move over to Adult Education in UCC, where Emer had responsibility for Coordinating Springboard courses within UCC.

Emer is a advocate of lifelong learning. In Jan 2022 Emer graduated with a first class honours Post Graduated Dip in Personal and Management Coaching from UCC.

Elaine OFlynn

A Job Coach with experience hiring and managing successful teams.

She has recently returned to live in her native West Cork from the US, where she worked in Facilities Management as a Director, Manager and Project Manager.

She holds a degree in Conflict Resolution (BSc Portland State University) and Emergency Management (AAS Portland Community College), and has also worked as a Mediator with the City of Beaverton.

An active listener, she supports and engages in order to connect capabilities and ambitions with meaningful outcomes.

Máiréad Ní Ruáin

A graduate of Loreto Abbey Rathfarnham, University College Dublin and Dublin Business School.

Mairéad has been responsible for the creative and educational development of supportive and progressive community programmes to a variety of target groups of all ages including Prisoners, those experiencing Homelessness and Teenage Parents in Ireland, and more recently in the UK.

She has developed and led collaborative community initiatives in Urban and Rural areas, including Dublin, Mayo,Inishbofin and Birmingham. She has served as a Director of a Refugee Advocacy group and supported community groups to embrace Diversity by establishing common ground.

Mairéad has more recently been employed as a Psychologist for a national organisation which supports vulnerable young people and their carers-she has delivered CPD training to Community Mental Health Teams for the NHS and contributed to Wellbeing Platforms as well as publications that support the relationship between Spirituality and Mental Health.

Mairéad is an advocate for Alpha Youth and has supported this in local schools. Mairéad has a keen professional interest in personal development and team sport having undertaken research into its positive benefits for adolescents as part of a postgraduate degree in Psychology- as well as having been a keen mountaineer and runner.

This diverse personal, professional and voluntary experience will be channelled into supporting job seekers and developing community employment goals in Kinsale.

Clare Gallagher

A job coach with Employability West Cork since 2018.

Her educational background includes an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree English and Spanish, University College Cork 1995, a Postgraduate Diploma in Tourism & Business University of Limerick 1996, a Higher Certificate in Mental Health in the Community, 2018 and a Higher Diploma in Facilitating Inclusion Disability Studies 2022 both in her alma mater of University College Cork.

Her early background has been in local development, tourism and travel working with companies such as Aer Rianta, South Kerry Development Partnership, Noble Caledonia UK, Budget Travel, West Cork Travel and Sheenco Travel. However, her strong interest in issues that affect people with disabilities and mental health issues and her subsequent studies encouraged her to use this knowledge to help clients in Employability West Cork move forward to achieve their goals.

Clare has extensive employer connections in the local area and focuses with her clients on finding the role which will bring out their full potential.

She also has a great understanding of the many educational and learning difficulties which people face and works jointly in a person-centered manner to help them overcome these challenges.

She particularly enjoys meeting new people and welcomes them to her central office in the town square of Skibbereen.

Mary ODriscoll

Joined Employability Service West Cork with a strong commitment to supporting people in overcoming barriers to employment and achieving their full potential.

She holds a degree in Social Care along with Diplomas in Addiction Studies and Youth and Community Work.

Mary's background includes working in Adolescent Residential services as Team lead for over 9 years. She has worked in the disability services in West Cork as well as Clerical roles within the HSE and Addiction services.

Mary also has a long standing history in volunteering in both Direct Provision and wider Community settings.

In addition to her professional experience Mary serves as Chairperson of the Clonakilty Access Group, where she advocate for accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities.

Mary is passionate about building trust, empowering individuals, and helping clients find meaningful and sustainable work opportunities.

"It is a privilege to be part of a team that values dignity, inclusion and equal access to employment for all".

Micheal Hurley

Worked with Employability Service West Cork as a job coach from 2007 to 2018 and has a BScSc 2004-2007 MSocSc (Voluntary and Community Sector Management) 2011-2013.

In 2018 Micheal became the Coordinator of Employability Service West Cork.

Micheal works from a person-centred perspective, encouraging people and building confidence through supportive interactions.

Micheal actively volunteers in his community and currently is the Cultural Officer with Castlehaven G.A.A., Director of West Cork Development Partnership, Skibbereen Community and Family Resource Centre and is a committee member with Skibbereen Chamber of Commerce along with involvement in other community and voluntary organisations.

Micheal is an advocate of continuous learning and has completed many other training courses including, Higher Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy – 2014, Disability Studies, Mental Health Awareness and Boundary Management.

Lord David Puttnam

"Workstart West Cork, now Employability Service West Cork, was one of the very first organisations I sought out and have continued to work with since arriving in West Cork with my family over twenty years ago.

Uniquely, in my experience, Employability Service offers that magic combination of guidance, support, employment, and, most important of all, hope and self respect - at a time when the people it serves are most in need of all the help they can get.

I believe Employability Service represents one of the pillars that justify West Cork seeing itself as, in every sense, a 'caring community'.

My family and I are delighted to support the entire team at Employability Service in their extraordinary efforts to make life that bit better for those who come to them in need of help."