The Government has now launched six of eight Regional Action Plans for Jobs, all aimed at developing the jobs potential of the regions and ensuring the economic recovery is felt across the country. These Plans, with an overall budget of €250 million, have ambitious targets, with many projecting 10-15% employment growth in the coming years, as well as focusing on increasing the number of successful start-ups, incubation spaces, and skills training. They are all developed in partnership with local business and local partners on the basis of local knowledge and playing to local strengths.
28,000 extra jobs
This week the North-East/North-West Regional Action Plan for Jobs was launched in Drogheda and Sligo – showing the breadth of this region. The Action Plan, which covers counties Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan and Louth aims to increase employment by 10 to 15%; this means creating 28,000 extra jobs in the region by 2020.
Like the national Action Plan for Jobs, which has seen 135,800 new jobs created since its launch in 2012, the North-East/North-West Plan sets out a series of commitments and actions from both the public and private sector, all of which will work together to support enterprise growth and job creation.
Key sectors targeted as part of the plan include traditionally strong sectors for the region like agri-food, manufacturing/engineering and tourism, as well as areas targeted for future growth like digital payments, cleantech and creative services.
So what are the targets to boost employment and small business in North-East/North-West? Read on to find out more...
Ministers Bruton and Hash at Boann Distillery in Drogheda for the launch of Action Plan for Jobs North-East/North-West
The Plan aims to both increase the number of start-ups, and improve the survival rate of new businesses in the region by at least 25%, and key actions include:
IDA will increase their investments in the region by 30-40% up to 2019. This means at least 61 additional IDA projects for the region, including a range of property solutions such as advance facilities in Letterkenny, Sligo and Dundalk. IDA will also work to secure “second site” investments for the region from companies with large existing operations in Dublin.
The Local Enterprise Offices will allocate over €2.2 million in grant funding in the region, and provide training and mentoring support to over 1,500 business-people for each year of the Plan.
Two Regional Skills Forums will be set up to ensure the flow of critical skills to enterprises in the region, and a Regional Innovation Forum will also be established to help support more companies to innovate and engage in R&D.
Focusing on specific sectors
For the Manufacturing Sector, a Centre of Excellence for Tool-making and Design will be established, and new Enterprise Ireland initiatives to support manufacturing companies to scale and export will be available.
For the Food sector, new regional food innovation programmes will be launched as well as extra food hubs in the region and extra numbers of participants on the Food Academy Programme.
For the Tourism sector, a new Shannon-Erne Waterway Blueway recreational trail will be launched to include walking, heritage and food, and there will be further initiatives around the ‘Wild Atlantic Way’ and ‘Ireland’s Ancient East’ brands.
Cross-border Impact
The Plan aims to maximise the impact of cross-border investment in research and innovation, including the delivery of research collaboration and innovation supports to over 1,400 SMEs in the region.
Future Growth Potential
Under the Plan, the potential for a Renewable Energy Innovation Centre at Killybegs will be explored, and IDA and Enterprise Ireland will work with industry to progress a Digital Payments Cluster along the M1 corridor.
Implementation and Follow-up
The Regional Action Plans have a focus on strong implementation and follow-through. In order to ensure that it is delivered, each action has specific deadlines and lead organisations. These will be reported on and monitored by a Regional Implementation Committee, chaired by an industry figure. Progress Reports on implementation levels will be published every six months, and the Committee will also identify new actions to be added over the lifetime of the plan.
Useful stats for the North-East/North-West
Since the start of the national Action Plan for Jobs process in early 2012 over 20,000 extra people are at work in the region, making it the third fastest growing region in the country in employment terms. This new regional Action Plan will help to further drive job creation across this region with a focus on boosting start-ups, increasing the level of IDA investment and providing better supports for local businesses.
For more information
Read the full Action Plan for Jobs North-East/North-West