The Phoenix Education Centre is a profit for purpose community interest company that provides mentoring and support, along with education and training opportunities for the community of East Belfast.
We are a community-based, community-focused, and community-led approach to tackling educational underachievement and improving opportunities in East Belfast.
As a community, we cannot wait on the government to act in tackling these issues and so the responsibility lies with us to ensure everyone, from cradle to grave has access to education, training, and opportunities that can improve their lives. We won’t wait for change, we must make it happen.
Meet the Team
Ellen Finlay- Director
Ellen Finlay brings over 20 years of experience in the community, voluntary, and private sectors. Based in Tiger’s Bay, North Belfast, Ellen is a dedicated researcher and policy expert with a passion for social inclusion and community engagement.
Her expertise spans project mentoring, strategic visioning, group facilitation, and community consultation, particularly within the women’s and children’s sectors. Ellen has championed key issues such as child poverty, mental health services, early years investment, and increasing women’s engagement in policy.
Currently serving on the Northern Ireland Food Advisory Committee, Ellen has also been a Department of Education School Governor. She has played a vital role in various policy initiatives, including anti-poverty and disability strategies, and has authored numerous reports and consultation responses. She is the founder of a financial education initiative for women in low-income communities, demonstrating her commitment to empowering marginalized groups.
Emma Shaw- Executive Director
Emma Shaw, the driving force behind Phoenix Education Centre, is a dynamic Executive Director with a profound commitment to community-driven education. Founded in 2021, the centre is a testament to Emma’s vision, rooted in her undergraduate dissertation and shaped by invaluable input from the local community.
Emma’s leadership extends far beyond her role at Phoenix Education Centre. As a Board of Governor at a local high school, a committee member of the Ormeau Road Credit Union, and Assistant Secretary at East Belfast FC, she actively contributes to the betterment of her community.
A sought-after public speaker, Emma champions education and community politics. Her tagline, “community-based, community-focused, and community-led,” encapsulates her dedication to fostering an inclusive educational environment. Nominated to the prestigious AMBIT program, Emma regularly engages with senior civil servants and politicians, including the Equality Commissioner, Attorney General for NI, and Steve Baker, alongside other local politicians.
In her capacity as Executive Director, Emma strategically guides Phoenix Education Centre, securing grant funding and developing alternative revenue streams for financial sustainability. Her hands-on approach is evident in personnel management, recruitment, and the enrolment of learners into diverse programs.
Emma Shaw embodies a visionary leader, seamlessly blending academic insights with practical initiatives. Her multifaceted roles, both within and beyond Phoenix Education Centre, position her as a catalyst for positive change, dedicated to empowering individuals and communities through education.
Stephen Rice- founder of TalentSensus
Stephen Rice (from Castlereagh in East Belfast) is the founder of TalentSensus who have been working across the US to enhance the technology in use with the American Workforce System. Having recently secured contracts in Missouri, Michigan and Texas, he is in the process of expanding his methodology for connecting employers, the workforce system and the education sector through Workforce Boards and State Government Departments.
Tim Plum – PEC Board Member
From 2018-2020 Tim was working on his PhD around loyalist identity in the context of Brexit when illness forced him to return home. Tim was conferred his Master of Science degree in 2016 from the George Mason University, Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution where Tim refined his knowledge in the NI education system with his thesis on the lack of educational attainment for Protestant young men in Northern Ireland and as a 2014 Graduate of the University of Virginia, with a Bachelor of Individualized Studies, Social Science. Tim wrote extensively on Northern Ireland. Tim is involved with the Armoy Community Revitalization Project as an unpaid consultant and from 2018 to 2020 served on the Shankill Business Council and Shankill Youth Engagement Council. Tim has made numerous media appearances speaking on education and previous experience in Ireland includes work experience in the restaurant industry.
The Phoenix Education Centre will offer various programs for youth and adults identified as at-risk from one of the following: low educational attainment, paramilitary or gang activity, or facing other barriers to obtaining higher and further education, re-entry to the workforce, or becoming workforce ready. The long-term goal of the Phoenix Education Centre is to empower community members to become active participants in their education. By using a community-based and youth work approach to learning the Phoenix Education Centre will build capacity within the community coupled with encouraging and uplifting community voice in all aspects of society. To achieve these objectives, the Phoenix Education Centre offers a range of programs for the whole community.
We are currently working on a number of social enterprises to ensure the financial security of our projects.
If you’d like more information, or to get involved please contact us.