Placements for Inclusion: IDA Ireland and SIRO’s Approach

The Open Doors Initiative’s Placement Programme creates inclusive, paid placement opportunities for people who face barriers to employment, including migrants, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, Travellers, and others from underrepresented backgrounds.

IDA Ireland and SIRO each partnered with ODI to develop meaningful placement roles that gave participants valuable Irish workplace experience, an important stepping stone to long-term employment. Between 2020 and 2023, both companies created nine tailored placements in fields such as Engineering, HR, Communications, UX Design, Sales, and Marketing. These served as life-changing opportunities for talented individuals who simply needed a foot in the door.

“As a non-EU citizen in Ireland, I faced numerous challenges trying to find a full-time job. Working at SIRO has been a transformative experience, I’ve gained so much valuable experience and knowledge that will serve me well in my career moving forward.” Placement Employee, SIRO

“Working within a professional setting has shown me the reality of working in an office-culture. It has given me the opportunity for networking, references, professional skills and familiarity of the corporate side.” Placement Employee, IDA Ireland 

Both IDA Ireland and SIRO embraced inclusive recruitment practices with support from ODI, writing accessible job descriptions, adapting interviews, and ensuring open communication with candidates.

“We worked so well with Open Doors during the recruitment process. I loved the collaboration during the screening process and interviews.” Manager, IDA Ireland

“I had sent my CV to over 1,000 jobs and done over 200 interviews in Ireland. This was the easiest recruitment process I had.” Placement Employee at SIRO

The positive impact extended beyond the individuals. Placement Managers and teams reported stronger team cohesion, cultural enrichment, and improved outputs. Managers shared how placement employees brought new ideas, improved internal processes, and added real value to the business. In several cases, contracts were extended or converted to permanent roles.

“The quality of the work is fantastic, we wouldn’t have had the resources or the experience to be able to pull together a whole new marketing plan for the team in less than nine months. I’m bowled over by the quality of her work. She had great experience and fantastic people skills.” Manager, IDA Ireland

“We had work that needed to get done and we were able to get through a lot more when he joined. He made a really good impression and his contract was extended.” Manager, SIRO

IDA Ireland and SIRO have shown what’s possible when companies open their doors to diverse talent. Their success illustrates how practical support, openness to inclusive practices, and a willingness to learn can lead to powerful results for individuals, teams, and businesses alike.

“A key learning was realising how to open up opportunities to a diverse candidate pool with highly skilled people and learning about the barriers that some groups face in the recruitment process and we can remove these. Realising that if we can put this in place, other employers can do it too. The placement programme is a viable option for a source of talent. Any concerns that managers had previously, have been removed.” Placement Champion at SIRO

The ODI Placement Programme continues to grow, offering companies the opportunity to fill real skills gaps while driving meaningful change.

If you are interested in learning more, please contact us at info@opendoorsinitiative.ie