About USEL
Disability employment support for Northern Ireland
We are Northern Ireland’s leading provider of employment services for individuals with disabilities or health conditions. Established in 1962, our mission is to empower people to achieve their full potential through employment, training, and support.
Our STory
Our history & mission
USEL was established in 1962 to fulfil an act of Parliament to provide supported paid employment for disabled people. In 1980 the company expanded through the acquisition of the Workshops for the Blind — The Belfast Association for the Employment of the Industrious Blind — to become the largest employer of disabled people within Northern Ireland.
At the time of the merger the Workshops for the Blind had been providing employment only for people with vision impairment, as it had always done since its establishment in 1871.
1871
Workshops for Blind founded in Belfast.
1962
USEL established by Act of Parliament.
1980
Merger with Workshops for the Blind.
2025
Partnership Agreement signed with DfC.
What drives us
Built on purpose, not profit
USEL is a not-for-profit orginisation. Everything we earn goes back into creating employment opportunities and supporting people with disabilities or health conditions across Northern Ireland.
We operate under the direction of the Department for Communities as an executive Non-Departmental Public Body, with our governance framework founded on a Partnership Agreement signed in April 2025.
We Champion Ability
We see what people can do, not what they can't. Over 80% of our 195 staff have a disability or health condition — ability is at the heart of everything.
NI Wide
We support all of Northern Ireland with our programmes and our commercial activities.
Long-term Commitment
We don't just place people in jobs — we stay with them. Ongoing in-work support ensures employment is sustainable and fulfilling.
Award-winning Commercial Activities
Our work has been recognised at local, national, and international level.
Social Enterprise of the Year
Belfast Chamber Business Awards 2022
Green World Environment Award
International recognition for circular economy work
Circular Economy Award
For U Shred NI — recycling 2,000+ tonnes of paper annually
Social Enterprise of the Year
Ballymena Business Awards 2024
Key partnerships
Working together for inclusion
We collaborate with employers, councils, and organisations to build a more inclusive Northern Ireland.
Our Empower programme — delivered in partnership with Disability Action and Specialisterne NI — has supported over 700 people into employment in the last two years alone. We also work closely with Department for Communities, Titanic Belfast, Belfast Met, Avenue Recycling, and councils across Northern Ireland to create inclusive workplaces and sustainable commercial activities.
Our impact
Six decades of supporting ability
60+
YEARS OF SUPPORT
1,100+
PEOPLE SUPPORTED YEARLY
70%+
MOVE TO EMPLOYMENT
100%
OF NI COVERED
Ready to work with us?
Whether you’re looking for support, hiring inclusively, or partnering on a programme — our team is here.