Northern Ireland’s largest car retailer, Charles Hurst, has announced its partnership with Belfast based social enterprise, NOW Group, by providing work placements and job opportunities to people with learning difficulties and autism.
Charles Hurst have become the first ever JAM Card Friendly car dealership in Northern Ireland, with 18 staff undertaking JAM Card awareness training to provide them with the knowledge they need to ensure that JAM Card users feel welcome across all 21 showrooms.
The NOW Group launched the JAM Card initiative last year to aid people with communication difficulties to ask for Just a Minute of Patience when they need it.
In addition to the partnership Charles Hurst provided a van to Loaf Catering, NOW Group’s social enterprise that delivers outside catering with its profits supporting people with autism or learning disabilities into jobs with a future.
Jeff McCartney, Group Sales Director at Charles Hurst, spoke about the recent partnership:
“We are delighted to partner with NOW Group and are excited to see the potential of our work placement students.
“We are invested in the continuous development of accessibility, as we feel it is essential to value and recognise the needs of each individual customer. We understand that purchasing a vehicle can be stressful, and we hope that through introducing the JAM card that customers can have a positive experience.”
Maeve Monaghan, CEO of NOW Group, said:
“This strategic partnership between NOW Group and Charles Hurst is an excellent opportunity for the two organisations to work together and make a positive social impact. Our aim is to provide people with learning difficulties the opportunity to start their career with an excellent organisation.”
“We are very pleased to welcome the organisation as the first ever JAM Card Friendly car dealer and know that the 12,000 JAM Card users across the country will be delighted to know their staff are aware of the card and app.”
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