Employment

In This Section

I am a family member
I am a person with Down syndrome
I am a professional

About the Employment Team

Down Syndrome Ireland’s Employment team supports adults with Down syndrome to make informed choices about their careers, providing necessary resources to seek, obtain and be successful in gaining employment.  We believe that adults with Down syndrome should have access to meaningful employment: employment that is paid, in an area that matches skill and interest level and employment in a person’s local community. Through our National Employment Programme our team work with and support a wide range of progressive organisations who see people with Down syndrome as key to making their workplaces more diverse and inclusive.  

National Employment Programme

The National Employment Programme was launched in 2018 after finding from our research that only approximately 6% of adults with Down syndrome were in paid employment in Ireland.

To date (2024), the employment team have supported 300 adults with Down syndrome into jobs nationwide. 

6% has risen to 14% in employment now. 

 

Our National Employment Programme aims to: 

-Provide meaningful employment opportunities.

-Develop direct links with employers.

-Raise awareness & provide specific training.

The employment team aim to build relationships with employers who can offer opportunities for our members throughout Ireland.  

 

What the National Employment Programmes provides: 

  • Assistance to identify meaningful roles and tasks within organisations.
  • Pre-employment and interview training for our job-seekers.
  • Bespoke Down syndrome awareness training for our employment partners.
  • Ongoing support once placement has commenced.

 

Industries in which the employment team have successfully placed adults with Down syndrome include but are not limited to: hairdressing salons, office administration (corporate, public sector, academic), retail, hospitality (hotels, bars, cafes, restaurants), leisure centres, opticians, manufacturing. 

 

For more information, click here for the 2024 National Employment Programme handbook.

Click here for the Down Syndrome Ireland Employment Perspective Research from March 2024.

We are always looking to partner with new employers and explore new exciting opportunities for adults with Down syndrome.  

Information for Employers

If you are interested in employing a person with Down syndrome, take a look at our Employer’s Guide that we have developed to help give an overview of our process and goals.   

Companies that employ people with Down syndrome report that those employees are committed and motivated, and often only need an opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities.  

The positive impact on the person with Down syndrome is substantial. Working helps improve confidence, increase social connectivity and integrate the individual into the local community.  

If you are an employer, we ask you not to make assumptions about what a person with Down syndrome can do. We ask you to consider the skills, abilities and aspirations of each individual.  

 

We can provide support to you around looking at job roles and responsibilities in your organisation that would provide meaningful work for an adult with Down syndrome.  We can also provide support around contracts and any materials that may need to be written to support the individual and employer training to ensure awareness around working with adults with Down syndrome.  

 

If you are an employer who wishes to employ a person with Down syndrome, we are here to support you. Please contact our team (you will find their contact information below).

 

Working alongside a person with Down syndrome often enriches the wider workforce and benefits a company in many diverse and unique ways.  

As an employer, would you like to get involved in one of our training and employment programmes? You can get in contact with our team below.

Supports: 

  • Carve job role with employer
  • Risk Assessments (dependent on environment)
  • Assist with interviews & selection

-Down syndrome awareness training 

  • Easy read documents of:

-Contract 

-Task list 

-Task analysis of more complex tasks 

-Other documentation 

-Work Readiness Programme: training for adults with Down syndrome 

  • Regular contact, updates & reviews

Work Readiness Programme – Training

Our Work Readiness Programme is a specialised programme that allows people with Down syndrome to train to a professional standard, gain certification and work in an industry of interest. 

We believe that with the support and education provided by our industry partners, coupled with the skills, abilities, aspirations and commitment of each participant, our Work Readiness Programme can help to develop new professional competencies, improve social skills & social inclusion and opportunities to enter the labour market for adults with Down syndrome. 

  • Partnered Training Programmes

    Beauty in all it’s Forms: Hairdressing Assistant Programme

    Beauty in All Its Forms (BIAIF) is an innovative programme for adults with Down syndrome, which we developed in 2017 in collaboration with our partner ALFAPARF Milano Ireland.

    BIAIF gives adults with Down syndrome the opportunity to train as hairdressing assistants with a view to securing long-term employment.  The programme is comprised of 18 weeks of training and education,  delivered jointly by Down Syndrome Ireland and ALFAPARF Milano  Ireland. 

    • 8 weeks will take place in the ALFAPARF Milano Academy in Dublin, where participants will learn about hair salons, how they work, different roles within the salon and how ALFAPARF Milano hair products are used. In addition, they will learn how to greet clients, fold towels, sterilize hairbrushes, and the basic cleaning tasks normally associated with a Hairdresser Assistant’s role. 

     

    • The following 10 weeks will take place in partner salons around the country, when the students will have the opportunity to put their classroom-based learning into practice. The salon will, where possible, be located in the vicinity of where the candidate lives. 

     

    Grafton Barber Training

    In 2021, the National Employment Programme partnered with The Grafton Barber to create a training & employment programme for adults with Down syndrome. The Grafton Barber programme comprises of 5 weeks training in The Grafton Barber’s Academy in Dublin, followed by 6 weeks placement in one of their local salons. Following on from three rounds of training The Grafton Barber now employs 12 adults with Down syndrome in their salons nationwide (we are continuing to grow these opportunities & numbers).

     

    In this video Darren, Stephen, Nathan, Fionn talk about their jobs & their colleagues talk about impact having a colleague with Down syndrome has on the workplace.

     

    Dalata Hotel: Hospitality Training Programme

    Our partnership with Dalata Hotel Group began in 2023 with the development of our Hospitality Training Programme. 

    The aim of this programme is to provide Food & Beverage training to adults with Down syndrome, learning skills such as: greeting customers, setting tables, preparing cutlery & condiments amongst many other tasks.

    Training takes place in a Dalata Hotel that is local to the participant for 6 weeks, with the view to securing employment on completion. 

     

    Conrad Hotel: Barista Training

    The Barista Academy was developed through a partnership between Conrad Dublin and Down Syndrome Ireland in 2022. Conrad Dublin employs six adults with Down syndrome, and also provides training to adults with Down syndrome in Barista Skills for five weeks at their hotel. Training not only teaches how to make various different coffees, but customer service skills also.

    On compeltion, DSI’s Employment Team work with graduates to secure employment in hospitality industries.

     

    Dublin Zoo: Training Programme

    Down Syndrome Ireland and Dublin Zoo partnered in 2024 to create a retail training program for adults with Down syndrome. The program runs for six weeks, during which students learn valuable skills and receive mentorship in Dublin Zoo’s gift shop, including customer service, stocking & retail skills.

Contact information

Aoife Gaffney is the Head of Employment.

Contact her by email on: aoife@downsyndrome.ie

If you are an employer interested in posting a job here, please contact our team. 

Meaningful Employment Videos

The videos below feature just some examples of our members in meaningful employment. 

This video features our four of our members who work in Grafton Barbers. 

Down Syndrome Ireland Grafton Barber Partnership (youtube.com)

This video features James Byrne who works in Allianz.

If you have any questions you can email Aoife: aoife@downsyndrome.ie