Tides of change – Daniel’s story of opportunities for all
The journey towards a job you love is not always smooth sailing.
There can be challenges along the way, but often with the right direction and support, you will get to where you want to go.
This is certainly the case for Daniel Hunter from the Carrickfergus area, who has proudly worked for Stena Line since 2022.
His journey began just over ten years when he was first referred to the Northern Health and Social Care Trust’s Day Opportunities programme.
After leaving school, Daniel accessed training schemes through employment agencies with the goal of obtaining a job. But when these were unsuccessful, he recognised that he needed some additional support to help him achieve his goal.
Explaining more, Allen Rankin, Day Opportunities Coordinator, said: “Daniel and myself worked very closely together to identify his goals which were squarely focused on employment and ideally within the travel and tourism industry.
“Daniel was referred to Mencap’s Supported Employment Service which really helped him to expand his training, build a CV and develop his interview skills, giving him access to the right guidance to get him to where he wanted to go.”
Work experience
Gaining meaningful work experience was a key component at this stage in Daniel’s development – allowing him to grow his employment skills and focus on the type of work he wanted to explore.
Through his dedication and commitment, Daniel secured a work placement at Centra where he undertook a range of duties including processing stock delivery, replenishing shelves and helping with customer queries.
With Allen’s support, Daniel went a step further and began accredited training through the Northern Regional College in Newtownabbey. This allowed him to improve his numeracy and literacy skills and he successfully achieved qualifications in application of numbers and communication.
Armed with his new skills, experience and qualifications, Daniel worked with Ailish Murphy, a Supported Employment Officer at Mencap, to develop his CV, apply for jobs and prepare for interview.
Allen said: “Daniel knew what he wanted to achieve and he was prepared to put the work in to get there. We were all delighted to see his efforts pay off when he secured a job with Stena Line working on board the Belfast to Cairnryan route.”
Thriving
In a demanding schedule, working seven days on and seven days off the ship, Daniel thrived in his new working environment and has always been keen to push himself to learn new skills.
Recently, Daniel swapped his sea legs for an on-shore job with Stena Line, working in the very busy and demanding freight ‘check-in’ department as a full-time customer service agent.
With a consistently friendly demeanour and his attentiveness to customer needs, Daniel has shown that he has all the skills and attributes required to thrive in the busy tourism sector. He has even bumped into a few celebrities along the way, including Scottish singer, Lewis Capaldi.
As the Northern Health and Social Care Trust’s Day Opportunities marks its 20th anniversary, Daniel’s story is part of the Trust’s Opportunities For All series, which celebrates the development of the service over the past two decades.
30th October 2025
