Other News In Brief

New BelfastPEACEIV Culture Café To Celebrate City's Spanish Community

Belfast City Council has announced that the next #BelfastPEACEIV culture café will celebration the local Spanish community and their contribution to the city.

This free online event takes place on Tuesday 19 October (12pm - 1.30pm) and will be facilitated by Rym Akhonzada from Interlingua. It will feature contributions from local business owners who have made Belfast their home as well as discussions on Spanish cuisine, music and dance.

This event follows other culture cafés this year showcasing the Italian, Indian, Polish and Chinese communities in the city.

The events are supported through Belfast City Council's PEACE IV Programme, an EU funded cross-border initiative supporting peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the border region. The programme is financed through the European Union and managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).

As part of the programme's events this year, another upcoming event next month will focus on shared spaces.

The 'Sharing Space in Divided Cities' Conference will take place in Crumlin Road Gaol Conference Centre on Thursday 11 November (9.30am – 12.30pm). A range of experts in the field of Shared Spaces in the Community will be speaking, among them Professor Wendy Pullan from Cambridge University and Urban Conflicts Research and Professor Liam O'Dowd from the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen's University Belfast.

Britvic NI Announced As Official Ulster Rugby Hydration and Sports Drink Partner

Britvic NI has been announced as the new Official Hydration and Sports Drink partner for Ulster Rugby, and the Soft Drinks partner for Kingspan Stadium.

The new deal will see Britvic NI fuel the Ulster Rugby squad at training and during games in the coming seasons. With Ballygowan looking after the hydration arm of the partnership, the team will use Energise Sport as their official sports drink.

Kevin Donnelly, Managing Director, Britvic Ireland said: "We are absolutely delighted and incredibly proud to be working with Ulster Rugby and we are really looking forward to the start of a great partnership.

"We believe the power and passion of Ulster Rugby coupled with our great brands opens up a really great opportunity to connect with people all across Ulster and build future success together."

On the new partnership, Jonny Petrie, Ulster Rugby CEO, said: "We are delighted that Britvic NI has come on-board as our Hydration, Sports and Soft Drinks partner, as their values as a brand closely align with what we want to achieve at Ulster Rugby.

"This is demonstrated in their passion for sustainability, exemplified by the recent investment in Ballygowan to make its bottles 100% recycled and fully recyclable, as well as holding the credentials for the only sports drink that is 100% produced in Ireland.

"Dan McFarland's mantra of 'Fight for Every Inch' is well-known now in the club, and throughout the province, and with Britvic NI on-board as a partner, I am confident that they will play their part in helping the team to maximise its performance in the time ahead."

New Assured Skills Collaborative Welding Academy Announced

A new Assured Skills Collaborative Welding Academy at South West College (SWC) has been announced by Economy Minister Gordon Lyons.

The College is offering an opportunity for 12 to receive industry standard welding training that will provide them with the skills they need to secure a role with companies in the local area.

Commenting on the Academy, Economy Minister Gordon Lyons said: "People with welding skills are in high demand in our local engineering and manufacturing sector as demonstrated by the number of local companies supporting these Academies. This Assured Skills Welding Academy run by SWC will equip participants with the skills they need, through an industry-recognised qualification, and position them very strongly to kick-start a new career in a much sought after occupation.

"No previous experience in welding is required and participants receive a training allowance of £155 per week. The programme has been very successful to date and I would urge anyone who is interested to apply."

Successful participants will attend a six week intensive training course delivered by SWC, a dedicated training facility in Cookstown where they will study ETCAL Level 2 Performing Engineering Operations and Certified Abrasive Wheels Training.

Following completion of the training, participants will be guaranteed an interview to take up a welding position at one of the 18 supporting companies. As a result of the first four welding academies at SWC, 38 participants have already secured employment with the companies supporting those academies.

Ciaran McManus, Assistant Chief Executive of South West College, said: "South West College is committed to working in partnership with the Department and local industry to design and deliver high quality training interventions which prepare participants to take up employment in the engineering and manufacturing sector."

The Academy will be delivered from Monday 29th November to Friday 21st January 2022. However, these dates may be subject to cancelation or change due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation.