United We Stand

United We Stand

That was the message from Frank O’Regan, Chairman of the South East Action Plan for Jobs (APJ) Implementation Committee at the Workshop held in the Dargan Centre, IT Carlow on 1st June last. Mr O’Regan is former Global VP of multi-national Bausch & Lomb and was appointed by then Minister for Enterprise, Richard Bruton to oversee the implementation of the South East APJ last September.

The Workshop in IT Carlow was attended by senior executives from all of the key agencies in the region, including the CEOs of the 5 local authorities, along with Enterprise Ireland, Bord Bia, the institutes of Technology, SEBIC and the Local Enterprise Offices, and a representative sample of more than 30 entrepreneurs from businesses across the 5 counties in the south east.

The Workshop was held against the backdrop of the recent CSO National Household Survey releases, which revealed that while the unemployment rate in the south east at 12.5%, has fallen dramatically from the peak of almost 20% in 2012, the region worryingly now has the highest rate of unemployment in the state with over 29,000 people unemployed.

Strong Value Proposition

Speaking at the event, Frank O’Regan said: “The South East APJ provides a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs and agencies across the region to work together to develop strategic actions that support the creation of wealth in the region, business growth and job creation. The Workshop kindly hosted by IT Carlow is the latest in a number we have held in recent months to provide a mechanism to do just that. The sum of the parts in the south east offers a very strong value proposition and we are keen to facilitate as much collaboration and co-operation as possible to ensure that the region realises its full potential. I have no doubt that the engagement which the regional Action Plan for Jobs brings about between the private and public sector will deliver the jobs the region needs and will result in more sustainable outcomes for the south east a whole.”

In her welcome address, Patricia Mulcahy, President of IT Carlow and member of the South East APJ Implementation Committee stated that the Institute would play its part in responding to the challenges and opportunities that exist in the region.

The Workshop in IT Carlow focused on Small & Artisan Food sector; the Creative Industries; and innovative start-ups. Mary Morrissey, Senior Manager with Bord Bia Food & Beverages Division provided an overview of the distinct competitive advantages of the agri-food and drinks sector in the south east. The agri-food sector is the largest indigenous industry in the region and there is an array of artisan food producers spread across the south east, that with the right support have potential for further expansion and growth.  It was acknowledged that while the Food Academy Programme developed by Bord Bia, SuperValu and the Local Enterprise Offices provides a platform for new and early-stage food business owners to develop a commercially viable business, there is a need for a Food Development and Incubation Centre in the region to provide food start-ups with access to shared work facilities and equipment, especially given the comparatively high capital costs involved in establishing a food enterprise and the highly regulated nature of the sector.

Centres of Excellence

Karen Hennessy, CEO of the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland (DCCoI) outlined the critical importance of design in the success of new and emerging sectors like medical devices and gaming, which are prevalent in the south east. The participants agreed that with the DCCoI headquartered in the region and the newly established DesignCore facility at IT Carlow, a tremendous opportunity now exists to develop centres of excellence in a number of design and craft disciplines throughout the region, including Waterford as a centre of excellence in glass design and production, Kilkenny as a centre of excellence in jewellery and Thomastown as a centre of excellence in ceramics.

Kieran Comerford, Head of Enterprise with Carlow County Council, posed the question “Why does the south east not have more innovative start-up companies.” It was acknowledged that while there are high profile start-up successes in the south east, such as FeedHenry and Eirgen Pharma, there are just not enough entrepreneurs with innovative ideas. One of the suggestions put forward by the participants to redress this situation included organising an annual event to showcase all that is good about the south east, as a means of attracting more potential entrepreneurs with innovative ideas from outside the region to locate and establish their businesses here, as opposed to setting up in comparatively higher cost locations such as Dublin. 

Sean McKeown, Director of the South East APJ Implementation Committee said: “We will certainly be taking on board the issues raised and recommendations put forward in the Workshop today. The Plan is a live and very fluid document and we have the flexibility to add and amend actions on an on-going basis. We will be hosting further Workshops in the weeks ahead and we look forward to continued positive engagement between the support agencies and business across all sectors in the region.”