What if a boxing club could help change a young person’s life forever?

In this episode of Workplus, host Richard Kirk sits down with Nathan Lowry, Life Skills Coach at Monkstown Boxing Club. Nathan shares how the club has evolved from a traditional boxing gym into a powerful community hub, supporting hundreds of young people across Northern Ireland every year. From helping with CVs to building confidence and breaking intergenerational cycles, Nathan’s story is one of deep purpose and practical hope. If you’ve ever wondered what great youth work really looks like, this episode is for you.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Monkstown Boxing Club supports over 500 young people a year
• The club offers boxing, education, mentoring, and community programmes
• Nathan’s role focuses on employability and well-being for ages 16–24
• Confidence is a major barrier for young people entering work
• Employers often miss chances to engage future talent through work experience
• Nathan overcame low confidence through mentors and volunteering
• He now mentors others through Workplus and other programmes
• Youth work is about consistency, trust, and showing up
• Long-term funding is critical for real impact in youth services
• Seeing a young person grow is more powerful than any paycheque

BEST MOMENTS

00:00:04. “It gets me up out of bed every morning.”
00:01:14. “Everyone thinks it's just boxing. Our slogan is 'not just a boxing club.’”
00:02:43. “We interact with around 500 young people annually.”
00:04:02. “It started off in the local community centre as a boxing club.”
00:06:13. “The employer doesn’t want to hear from mummy. They want to hear from the young person.”
00:12:01. “There are probably two youth workers I could tell you, if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here.”
00:17:19. “They’re the ones who wrote the application and nailed the interview.”
00:27:29. “For me that was priceless, seeing kids come right out and be a better version of themselves.”
00:33:14. “We never expect young people to return as volunteers, but they always come back.”
00:36:22. “If you do something you love, you never work a day in your life.”

🎧 Thanks for listening to Workplus, the podcast that brings real jobs into the light.

🔗 Find more stories, tools, and guides to help young people and returners explore meaningful careers at workplus.app

📩 Know someone who would find this helpful? Share it with a parent, teacher, or future changemaker.

🎙 New episodes every Thursday at 8am. Follow so you never miss a story.

This podcast has been brought to you by APodcastGeek. https://www.apodcastgeek.com

What if your career path wasn’t a straight line, but a series of pivots that built something even better? In this episode of Workplus, we sit down with Amy Martin, Business Development Manager at Scaffold Digital, to explore her journey from marketing to tech. Amy shares how she found her place in the software industry, what skills really matter, and why tech is far more than just coding. This episode is packed with insights for anyone curious about the human side of software and how real-world problems get solved through bespoke solutions.

Whether you're a parent guiding your child, a teacher looking for inspiring stories, or someone considering a change, this conversation will help you see the tech sector, and your own potential, in a new light.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
• You don’t need to start in tech to succeed in it
• Resilience and creativity are key to business development
• Most companies are looking for tailored software, not off-the-shelf tools
• Real career growth often comes from blending diverse experiences
• Building relationships is as important as building products
• The software industry offers roles far beyond engineering
• Discovery sessions help translate business pain points into tech solutions
• AI is already speeding up processes and supporting teams
• Tech has a big impact on regulated, high-compliance industries
• Every business has unique needs, bespoke software reflects that

BEST MOMENTS:

00:01:23. “I work for a company called Scaffold Digital. Scaffold are a software company headquartered here in Northern Ireland.”
00:02:35. “Anything that we do build, the client owns outright. They own the IP.”
00:03:21. “It really does just go back to the basics. Understanding what a company does, are they trying to grow?”
00:04:10. “I think that I’ve almost kind of married everything up through my experience.”
00:05:23. “You kind of just develop these kind of resilience skills along the way.”
00:06:25. “I actually thought I wanted to be a special needs teacher.”
00:09:29. “It was on you to get up in the morning and get to your class.”
00:13:52. “We take a client through discovery and strategy, then develop a tactical roadmap.”
00:20:10. “There’s just so much opportunity within the industry. And I think more than anywhere you can pivot once you’re in it.”
00:24:19. “For me it’s just about helping people. That’s probably a big part of my role.”

🎧 Thanks for listening to Workplus, the podcast that brings real jobs into the light.

🔗 Find more stories, tools, and guides to help young people and returners explore meaningful careers at workplus.app

📩 Know someone who would find this helpful? Share it with a parent, teacher, or future changemaker.

🎙 New episodes every Thursday at 8am. Follow so you never miss a story.

This podcast has been brought to you by APodcastGeek. https://www.apodcastgeek.com

Discover Career Paths Without Leaving Northern Ireland

In this episode of Workplus, host Richard Kirk speaks with Steven Norris, Deputy Director at Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council. Steven shares how his council is bridging the gap between schools and businesses, tackling Northern Ireland’s skills challenges, and helping young people see the rich career opportunities that exist right on their doorstep.

• Schools struggle to showcase the full range of modern career paths
• Work experience helps young people discover local opportunities
• Council’s role in reconnecting schools and businesses after the pandemic
• Volume of job vacancies versus low unemployment in NI
• Widespread lack of awareness about local sectors like engineering and logistics
• Challenges around economic inactivity and intergenerational worklessness
• Council strategies to reach people far from the labour market
• Real-world training that starts with confidence-building, not just qualifications
• Upskilling as a way to unlock entry-level opportunities
• Why purpose and fulfilment at work matter more than ever

BEST MOMENTS

00:01:36. “It came from our engagement with businesses on the ground.”
00:02:44. “All of that had kind of died away as one of the results of the pandemic.”
00:03:10. “We saw an opportunity to get involved in that gap between those two sides.”
00:04:09. “We’ve been so fortunate to have our partnership with Workplus.”
00:05:59. “All of that’s completely untrue, but there’s such an awareness gap of opportunities.”
00:09:17. “How do we lift them? How do we give them confidence?”
00:12:15. “We work with companies really, really closely to understand where the gaps are.”
00:21:04. “If you can bring one person into a job and then a better job, you’re affecting an entire household.”
00:32:07. “It gives people that structure. It gives them something to build a life around.”

🎧 Thanks for listening to Workplus, the podcast that brings real jobs into the light.

🔗 Find more stories, tools, and guides to help young people and returners explore meaningful careers at workplus.app

📩 Know someone who would find this helpful? Share it with a parent, teacher, or future changemaker.

🎙 New episodes every Thursday at 8am. Follow so you never miss a story.

This podcast has been brought to you by APodcastGeek. https://www.apodcastgeek.com