Disability Employment Summit At ICC Conference Centre

This week the Harkin International Disability Employment Summit 2022 is being held here in Northern Ireland at the ICC Conference Centre, with its aim to help organisations across the world approach, support and enable persons with disabilities to achieve their career goals and aspirations.

First Time The Event Has Been Held In Northern Ireland

The event goes ahead on Tuesday and Wednesday this week (7th to 8th June), it is the first time it has been held in Northern Ireland and we are sure it will be a very worthwhile summit with hundreds of delegates coming from a variety of organisations and countries.

Stephen Matchett, deputy CEO at Danske Bank and the founder and senior sponsor of Enable, the bank’s disability network, is speaking at the summit, and he is quoted in the Belfast Newsletter today, saying:

“I’ve heard it said that ‘people who see the world differently are the ones who can see things we never do’. That’s absolutely been Danske’s experience.

“We’ve developed excellent partnerships with organisations such as Stepping Stones and the NOW Group to create strong pathways into employment. We’re already benefiting from new placements and roles in branch, and in our mortgage support and automation teams, and I hope that other employers at the conference will be encouraged by how our colleagues and customers have benefited from this approach.”

Diversity And Inclusion Are Good For Colleagues And Good For Business

Also in the same article, Jenny Moore, employment counsel at Danske Bank said that:

“Diversity and inclusion are key values for Danske. Enabling our colleagues with disabilities or long term health conditions is an integral part of our work in this area. Our experience is that diversity and inclusion are good for colleagues and good for business. At Danske Bank, we see diversity as a strength, and research bears out this perspective. Diversity is a source of insight and adaptability, generating better business ideas and high-quality service for our customers.”

We couldn`t have put it better ourselves, let us hope all goes well at this event at the ICC Conference Centre and it puts Northern Ireland in the best possible light too. Many studies have actually shown that on the whole employees who have some form of disability are more reliable than employees with no impairments at all and that employing disabled people in your workplace can boost productivity and creativity levels, which is great for all concerned.