23 January 2023
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
New recruit tells her story as organisation seeks additional nurses and care assistants
A young care assistant from Cork is encouraging people to consider a career supporting people with disabilities. Vanessa Kelleher is now working with Cope Foundation after attending a Recruitment Open Day hosted by the organisation last year. She is urging people to attend one of two similar events taking place in Cork this month.
One of the country’s largest disability organisations, Cope Foundation is looking to recruit care assistants and nursing staff in Cork. There will be two Recruitment Open Days in the city next week – the first will be in The Clayton Silversprings Hotel on Wednesday, January 25th between 2pm and 7pm and the second will be in The Metropole Hotel on Saturday, January 28th from 10am to 2pm.
People are invited to meet with some of Cope Foundation’s team to discuss career opportunities within the organisation. The Cork-based charity hosted four Recruitment Open Days in the city and county last year which were attended by approximately 226 people.
One of those was Vanessa Kelleher who attended the event in The Metropole Hotel last April. The 25-year old started working with Cope Foundation last August and has been helping people supported by the organisation to live a life of their choosing, including taking day trips to the cinema and local restaurants.
Vanessa said, “I was already working in a healthcare setting but I wanted a change so I went to the Open Day. They welcome you in, tell you where to go and it’s like a very casual interview. You’re asked a bit about yourself, what you’re doing now and why you came. They really put you at ease for the actual interview and they set you up for that. It was really good as it got me interested in the job at the time. I would say to anyone who is thinking about it to go to the Open Days as it’s definitely worth it. Not only are you helping people with their needs, the work itself is really enjoyable and it makes you feel good. The staff at the Open Days are really nice and friendly and they just get to know you and prepare you for the interview.”
Eamon Nash, Chief Operations Officer of Cope Foundation said, “I’m delighted to hear Vanessa’s story and that she found the Recruitment Open Day so beneficial. Cope Foundation can offer a really exciting career opportunity for the right candidates. Many of our team started out as care assistants and are now working at the highest level in the organisation. We have more than 70 locations across Cork and some of the benefits of working with Cope Foundation include membership of the Single Public Service Pension Scheme, paid maternity/paternity leave and sick leave paid in line with the public sector sick pay scheme. We look forward to talking to people about the opportunities we have on offer.”
Cope Foundation is a ‘section 38 organisation’ funded by the HSE. For more information about the event visit www.cope-foundation.ie
