Pic: Press 22
ALMOST half the 23,000 jobs targeted in the Mid-West Action Plan for Jobs over the next five years are expected to come to Limerick city and county.
The plan, launched by Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Minister Richard Bruton on Monday, is the fourth of eight regional jobs plans to be published as part of
a new €250 million Government jobs strategy.
Each plan is developed and driven by regional agencies with the Government facilitating and providing funding support where necessary.
The Mid West plan will target growth in aviation, life sciences, engineering, internationally traded services and tourism. The government claims that if their full potential is harnessed properly, an extra 23,000 jobs can be created by 2020 with up to 12,000 of them coming to new and existing companies in Limerick.
Finance Minister Michael Noonan said the recent budget was designed to spread recovery
to families in every region and the Mid-West Action Plan was an important means to ensure that the recovery is felt in every community in Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary.
“Every job created puts money back in people’s pockets. The Mid West region is a strong region with great potential and the Government is fully committed to continue to create the right environment for jobs growth.”
Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan commented: “In Limerick alone in the last 18 months more than 2,000 high quality jobs have been announced. While this is welcome progress, our unemployment rate remains too high.
“This Action Plan gives us a coherent, targeted approach. It utilises all the resources and talents of the region and I am particularly pleased to see the prominent role that education institutes in the region will play.”
She added that education providers have already come together with business groups, Enterprise Ireland and other key stakeholders in the Mid West to establish the Shannon Region Skills Forum.
“It is part of a new national network of Regional Skills fora to foster better links between education and enterprise in building the supply of skills to support job creation and development of each region. €1million in direct funding will be provided in 2016 to support the new network across eight regions,” she added.
Dr Órlaith Borthwick, deputy chief executive and director of policy at Limerick Chamber said the Government was seeking to maximise the distinctive strengths of each region to build on opportunities and maximise economic returns.
“Limerick and the greater Mid West region are ideally positioned to utilise cluster strengths in the aviation, life sciences, financial service and agri-tech sectors as Limerick gains a reputation nationally and internationally as a collaborative community with a ‘can-do’ attitude”, she added.
KEY TARGETS
· Increase startups by at least 25 per cent
· Increase employment in existing firms by helping them scale up their business.
· 66 new IDA investments and a new Advance Technology Building in Limerick in 2017.
· Strengthen sectoral clusters in aviation, life sciences, engineering and internationally traded services
– 85 per cent increase in agri-food exports by 2025
– Increase overseas tourism revenue to €375 million by 2025, and employment by 25 per cent.
