THE new Chief Executive Officer of the North’s leading provider of employment services for individuals with disabilities or health conditions says he wants to provide more opportunities and raise the profile of the organisation.
USEL was established in 1962 with a mission to empower people to achieve their full potential by providing access to employment, training, and support services.
USEL is an arm's length body of the Department for Communities, committed to promoting equality and reducing health inequalities through community engagement and support.
Scott Jackson is the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of USEL and sat down with Belfast Media and explained more about what USEL is all about.
“I am a local lad, originally from the Shankill Road and have worked in USEL from 2016 in various management positions,” he explained.
“We operate social enterprise business models with the purpose of supporting people with health conditions and disabilities.
“We are an executive non-departmental government body. We are not fully funded by the public purse. The organisation is split up into three main areas. Corporate services is finance and HR, employment services which includes skills for life and work provision and then the commercial side of the business which is the Ability Café.”
A big part of USEL is their factory, based at their Belfast headquarters in Cambrai Street, off the Shankill Road.
It includes shredding, manufacturing and recycling social enterprises.
U SHRED NI is the Northern Ireland's only social enterprise, providing document and hardware shredding services. Their document and hardware shredding offers tailored solutions for safeguarding customer information and securing commercially sensitive data.
Recycling of mattresses and furniture
Their secure shredding service covers councils, schools, banks and government departments as well as a range of smaller businesses across the North.
In terms of manufacturing, USEL Manufacturing offers innovative solutions in textile manufacturing, providing high-quality, sustainable products designed to meet the evolving needs of the industry. With a focus on precision, efficiency, and eco-friendly practices, SmartPac delivers exceptional textiles that combine advanced technology with expert craftsmanship.
One of the main clients includes Translink, for whom USEL make bus stop signs.
USEL also operates recycling solutions for recycling of mattresses, furniture, plastic and cardboard.
“In our factory, we have a recycling service for cardboard and mattresses. We also provide a secure data destruction for the entire Civil Service,” added Scott.
“We are the only mattress recycler in the North.
“We have 195 people employed in the organisation and over 80 per cent have a disability or health condition. We have regional offices in Derry, Portadown and Belfast.
“Throughout the province, we support over 1,000 people annually to find, gain and sustain employment.”
As for his targets as new CEO of USEL, Scott wants to create more employment opportunities for people with a disability or health condition as well as raise awareness of the organisation.
“For me, USEL is a lifeline for people with a health condition or disability. A large proportion of them would be unemployable if USEL did not exist,” he continued.
“There is a stigma around employing people with a health condition or disability. We want to help as many people as possible who want to work do exactly that.
“There are so many people who want to work but don’t know how to go about it. When I go out and about, there are people who do not know who USEL are and it really bothers me.
“My two main aims as the new CEO is that I want to create more sustainable employment and raise awareness of USEL.
“My message to anyone with a health condition or disability is please come and talk to us and reach out.
“If you want to get back into work, USEL will absolutely guarantee that.”
USEL, 182-188 Cambrai Street
Belfast BT13 3JH
Tel: 028 9035 6600
Email: info@usel.co.uk
