The future is looking brighter for the South East

The future is looking brighter for the South East

The future is looking brighter for the South East

The South East Action Plan for Jobs Implementation Committee has finalised its first progress report, which confirms that all of the actions scheduled for delivery at this stage of the 3-year plan are either well on track or have been completed.

The Chairman of the Implementation Committee, Frank O’Regan said:

“We have got off to a really good start with some early wins. The Action Plan is a public-private partnership between the local authorities and state agencies in the region on the one hand and local business and industry champions on the other. We are united in our purpose to ensure the potential of the south east as a great place to live, invest and to do business is maximised and that we develop the right environment to create the jobs the region needs.”

Background

Employment in the south east region fell by almost 38,000 (or 17%) between 2006 and 2011 and the unemployment level reached almost 19 per cent. Since the National Action Plan for Jobs was launched in 2012, employment in the region has grown by over 25,000 (or 14%). The South East Action Plan for Jobs launched in September 2015 aims to build on this momentum and comprises of actions which specifically focus on the region’s strengths, opportunities and challenges.

The South East Action Plan for Jobs covers the 5 counties of Carlow, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford. Minister Bruton appointed Frank O’Regan to Chair the Implementation Committee for the Action Plan late last year. Frank is an entrepreneur and former head of Bausch &Lomb in Waterford. The Implementation Committee comprises of representatives from all of the main stakeholder organisations in the region, including the 5 local authorities; the enterprise agencies (i.e. IDA; EI and LEOs); third level educational institutes (i.e. WIT and IT Carlow); Chambers of Commerce; Failte Ireland; the Education & Training Boards; and local business and industry representatives. All of the various stakeholders were actively involved in the preparation of the Action Plan, which sets outs out a range of ideas to help boost job creation in the region. The ambitious targets set out in the Action Plan include growing employment in the region by 15% by the end of 2017. This would see the creation of an additional 25,000 jobs, and would also result in the unemployment rate in the region reducing to less than 6%.

Action Plan

The Action Plan sets out a total of 194 actions to help achieve the ambitious targets set. However, as Frank O’Regan points out these Actions will be changed or augmented by the Implementation Committee as the need or opportunity arises. Among the objectives to be delivered in the Action Plan are:

  • a range of actions aimed at increasing the number of start-up businesses by at least 30% (e.g. better mentoring and incubation spaces for start-ups, and extra supports through the Local Enterprise Offices);
  • an increase of up to 40% in investments by overseas companies in the region, which would mean at least 44 new investments in the coming years, delivered through measures including three new advance facilities, improvements in branding of the region, including a ‘quality of life’ campaign marketing the south east as a great place to live and work;
  • a 20% increase in jobs in exporting companies, in particular in manufacturing, agri-food, business services and biopharma/medtech;
  • accelerate the agri-food targets set for the region over the next 10 years, in particular increasing food exports by 85%through a range of measures, includingthe development of an artisan food hub, creation of an agricultural manufacturing cluster and setting-up a dedicated agri research centre;
  • establish a financial service hub, as well as a joint IDA/Enterprise Ireland strategy for Business Process Outsourcing;
  • establish an industry-led forum and centre of excellence in the region for the Biopharma/medtech sector;
  • measures to accelerate the tourism targets set for the south east over the next 10 years, in particular to attract over 300,000 extra tourists and to create at least 5,000 associated jobs; and
  • development of local plans for each of the key town centres in the region, including proposals to enhance the consumer experience.

Full details of the South East Action Plan for Jobs can be viewed at:

https://www.djei.ie/en/Publications/South-East-Action-Plan-for-Jobs-2015-2017.html

A comprehensive implementation structure is being established to ensure delivery of the Action Plan. This includes the appointment of industry champions to lead on a number of strategic priority themes. These include:

  • Terry Clune, Founder & Chair of Connect Ireland and Taxback, Kilkenny;
  • Seamus Kilgannon, CEO Schivo Group, Waterford;
  • Patsy Carney, CEO Eirgen Pharma, Waterford;
  • Rachel Doyle, MD Arboretum, Carlow;
  • Pat McLoughlin, Operations Manager Abbott Vascular, Clonmel;
  • Pauline Oakes, Director of Operations CR Bard, Wexford; and
  • Colin Gordon, CEO Glanbia Consumer Products.

The input of these experienced industry leaders in the process creates a real step-up in the implementation and impact of the Action Plan. The Implementation Committee have also appointed a full-time Director to lead the implementation of the Action Plan, namely Sean McKeown. Sean was formerly Head of Enterprise with Kilkenny County Council and he will be based in the Enterprise Ireland Regional Offices, Cork Road Industrial Estate, Waterford.

First Progress Report

The Implementation Committee finalised its first progress report at its meeting held at the end of last month. The report includes updates from each of the stakeholders on progress achieved to date on implementation of the actions they have been assigned. Among the actions that have been progressed to date are:

  • the commencement of a regional microenterprise Food Strategy in conjunction with Bord Bia and other relevant stakeholders. This will include a review of the various existing county-based food networks and events and shared service initiatives such as the Irish Food Co-op;
  • support provided to local food producers has resulted in 5 from the south east, out of a national total of 29,being selected for trial listings in a cross section of SuperValu stores under the Food Academy ‘Advance’ Programme;
  • the development of a smart specialisation strategy for the region, looking at ways to maximise the use of ICT in particular in: Agriculture, Digital Media, Medical Devices and Pharmaceutical Industries, Advanced Manufacturing and Tourism. Facilitated workshops have also been held with industry champions in some of these sectors to further explore what is needed and further workshops will be held in the coming months;
  • the development of a new technology gateway - DESIGN+ (at IT Carlow) to complement the existing gateways (at WIT) that will provide industry with a mix of design and technical expertise to help prototype and implement new products, as well as help upgrade the industrial strengths of the region;
  • a comprehensive programme of enterprise training and management development programmes(put in place by the LEOs in the region), aimed at assisting over 4,000 entrepreneurs to either start or develop and grow their business this year;
  • the preparation of an application under the Accelerator Development Scheme competitive call for funding, aimed at providing an intensive range of supports accelerating the number of quality start-ups in the region; and
  • the local authorities in the region have compiled a profile of available office and industrial space in the region that can now be used to assess gaps and the need for additional space so as to better inform the market.

The Chairman of the Implementation Committee Frank O’Regan said:

“The progress made since the launch of the Plan last September is very positive and the commitment shown by all of the stakeholders in the process thus far is really encouraging for the future of the region. The real success of the Action Plan will be in getting everyone involved to focus their efforts and to think regionally and to work together for the benefit of the whole of the south east.”