The Irish Association for Supported Employment (IASE) has announced the seventh annual National Supported Employment Week which will take place from Monday 7th to Sunday 13th April, 2014.

Job Shadow Day (Wednesday, 9th April) is the high point of the week and will see hundreds of people with disabilities take the opportunity to shadow a workplace mentor as he or she goes about a normal working day. The IASE is calling on businesses throughout the country to support equal employment opportunities and sign up at www.iase.ie to participate.

Last year, over 460 individuals with a disability shadowed at 439 employment sites in Ireland, with 27 securing a permanent job placement as a direct result. Following on from its success in Ireland, National Supported Employment Week is set to roll-out in Europe, with 12 countries already committed to take part in 2015.