The work undertaken by Ceallaigh while on placement mainly involved working on existing projects and also attending meetings to observe project reviews, and to become aware of new projects being considered by GEMS NI. Ceallaigh had particular involvement in the Learner Access and Engagement Programme including an overview of this programme. Helping the organisation to recruit new clients to this programme was a further responsibility. The task of registering new clients, through both the BMC registration system and the GEMS NI internal information system, was completed by Ceallaigh as required.

During Ceallaigh’s time on placement, GEMS NI, received confirmation of a successful tendering for a research project on Employability Projects offered throughout Northern Ireland. The Equality Commission decided a project was required to consider the provision of advice through the range of employability programmes and training services. These services were offered to minority groups, or groups traditionally considered disadvantaged in the labour market i.e. minority ethnics, women and young people. The Equality Commission thought it would be beneficial to have a comprehensive list of all these programmes in the one place. Ceallaigh became involved in various aspects of this project which included her being given the opportunity to assist in questionnaire design, and analysis of data, thus adding challenge and variety to her placement experience.

As evidence of placement experiences, Ceallaigh submitted a Work Related Learning Portfolio for assessment purposes. Ceallaigh’s Personal Reflection focused on employability skills with her learning outcomes being identified and explained in the context of tasks completed. She also completed a study paper which examined the Data Protection Policy, and the Confidentiality Statement, relevant to the work carried out by GEMS NI.

"I believe that my choice of modules in my final year of study and, in particular, the module on Identity in Contemporary Society and Unity in Diversity prepared me for the many different and diverse attitudes I encountered while on placement. These modules also helped me to understand other cultures better and realise that many of the clients using GEMS NI services have never experienced our culture before; these modules helped me to be more understanding of their circumstances and situation as many of these clients had extreme reasons for moving to Northern Ireland. The Work Related Learning module also gave me a good understanding of the issues that organisations such as GEMS NI face in terms of compliance and corporate social responsibility. The Career and Personal Development modules contributed to my ability to assist clients in the Job Club in their efforts to complete application forms and CVs. Oral Communications and the associated seminars contributed to my ability to speak in public and to deal with individual clients. The Writing Skills and Communications modules, along with my experience as a Peer Tutor with the college Writing Centre, helped me in putting together questionnaires and project reports.

While on placement I discovered the commonplace saying ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’ is literally true. During team exercises at GEMS NI, various ways to solve a problem were explored, before deciding which line of action was the best way forward. I often found someone else had a simple solution to a problem that I was struggling with and vice-versa."

Ceallaigh spent two six week terms of placement with GEMS NI over a two year period and she continued to volunteer with the organisation between each placement. Since graduating Ceallaigh was invited by the organisation to continue work on the Learner Access and Engagement Programme. She is currently following the Masters programme in Business Development and Innovation, as a part-time student, at the University of Ulster, Jordanstown. To date, in consultation with management at GEMS NI, Ceallaigh has been granted permission to use information from the organisation to contribute to her Masters level assignment, and dissertation based work. In Ceallaigh’s own words, extracted from a presentation describing her placement experiences:

"My core work at GEMS NI was research based and the experience gained has been invaluable. It was made clear what was expected from the assigned project by not only the Equality Commission but also by GEMS NI. I felt privileged to be trusted to work on a project which clearly would have implications for the organisation and their reputation. I did feel slightly anxious and under pressure, due to the tight timescales of each phase of the project, but my confidence level improved as I became familiar with the people and the organisation. On the final week of placement, I presented the findings, from the section of the project assigned to me, to my manager, Shane Smith. On advice, I then continued adding pieces until we met with the representative from the Equality Commission to present a report on the findings to date."