Limerick City Enterprise Board has welcomed the recent announcement by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation of the restructuring of the Enterprise Board network as part of its Action Plan for Jobs 2012.
A new ‘One Stop Shop’ micro enterprise support structure will be achieved through the dissolution of the City and County Enterprise Boards (CEBs) in their current form and the creation of a new Micro Enterprise and Small Business Unit within Enterprise Ireland. This new Unit will work with Local Authorities to establish a network of Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) in each Local Authority. Essentially, the LEOS will carry out the combined work of the CEBs and the Business Support Units of the Local Authorities.
The micro enterprise sector refers to businesses employing 10 or less employees and the new arrangements will see a referral service to Enterprise Ireland put in place for those micro enterprises that progress to employing more than 10 people.
Speaking about the restructuring, Eamon Ryan, CEO of Limerick City Enterprise Board said, “Since our formation in 1993, we have played a huge role in the economic life of Limerick City in terms of supporting job creation through grant aid and the provision of business supports for small businesses. We would like to reassure all of our clients that we are still open for Business and look forward to continuing our work under the new arrangements. The expertise and commitment of our staff, the voluntary contribution of the Evaluation Committee and the Board will not be lost in any new structure. The CEBs have been calling for the avoidance of duplication at a local level for some time now so we look forward to combining our expertise and support services in a cohesive, ‘one stop shop’ unit at a local level for the greater benefit of our clients in Limerick.”
