Stephen Kelly, MD of Ability Focus is Newstalk Business Person of the Month for September
We are delighted to announce that our Managing Director, Stephen Kelly, has just won Newstalk Business Person of the Month for September 2022. This award is sponsored by Eversheds Sutherlands LLP (Ireland) and is the inaugural award in the Business Person of the Month series.
The Business Person of the Month Award is run through Newstalk Breakfast Business with Joe Lynam and Stephen was invited into Newstalk HQ to speak with Joe last Friday, September 30th for the breakfast briefing.
For a company which specialises in disability awareness training to be nominated, shortlisted and recognised in this manner is a great indication that disability awareness training is now being looked at as an important part of learning & development for organisations in the public, non-profit and private sector.
During the interview, Stephen explained to Joe about the challenges met when faced with the Covid-19 pandemic. All on-site disability awareness training had ceased in early 2020 so the decision was made to shift training delivery to live online platforms. This decision proved to be a great success with Ability Focus expanding our client base from SME's to multinationals, semi-state organisations and government departments.
The benefits of a live online virtual delivery were such that Ability Focus continued with this service offering through 2021 and into 2022, securing large training contracts with progressive organisations such as An Post and delivering training across the EMEA region for numerous progressive corporate clients.
During the interview Stephen also highlighted that there is a government funded grant called the Disability Awareness Support Scheme (DASS) which covers 90% of the cost of disability awareness training for businesses in the private sector. With such a significant grant rebate, and training delivered in a contemporary manner through a live online format, Stephen stated that there really was very little reasons for businesses not to do disability awareness training through a company such as Ability Focus.
While we very much recognise that disability awareness and disability equality training is still in its infancy here in Ireland, the Ability Focus team are confident that more organisations are starting to recognise the importance of this valuable training. Disability impacts everyone at some stage in their lifetime, either personally or through a loved one, and training in this area creates greater levels of empathy and understanding of this hugely diverse group.
We would once more like to congratulate Stephen on his award and we would also like to wish him the very best of luck in going forward for Newstalk Business Person of the Year Award!
We would also like to thank Eversheds Sutherlands LLP (Ireland), Newstalk FM and Breakfast Business with Joe Lynam for considering our MD for this award.
You can listen to Stephen's interview with Joe Lynam here:
If you are considering Disability Awareness Training for your organisation, please get in touch with Ability Focus by calling (01) 699 1150 or email info@abilityfocus.ie and we will be happy to discuss a customised programme to suit your disability training needs.
Ability Focus is the leading provider of disability awareness training in Ireland. Our training programmes are CPD accredited, IITD Endorsed and delivered by qualified trainers with over seventeen years' experience working in disability inclusion.
