Local Enterprise Kildare Hosts the Launch of the New Regional Enterprise Plan for the Mid-East
Local Enterprise Office Kildare was delighted to host the launch of the Regional Development Plan 2020 Thursday 7 February at Aras Kildara, Naas County Kildare.
The Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys TD, launched the new Regional Enterprise Plan for the Mid-East to support enterprise growth and job creation through collaborative initiatives. She was joined at the launch event by Minister for Rural & Community Development, Michael Ring TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed TD, and Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Damien English TD.
The New Regional Enterprise Plan is one of nine Regional Enterprise Plans to be launched by Minister Humphreys to drive enterprise growth in the regions. Since the Regional Action Plan for jobs was launched in 2015, over 32,000 jobs have been created across the Mid East Region.
The four strategic objectives of the plan are:
- Develop the Mid-East as a hub for the Screen Content Creation Sector
- Develop a network of innovative co-working spaces
- Build an ecosystem framework to support the agri food sector in the Boyne Valley
- Ensure the availability of skills and talent to realise the Mid-East’s future economic potential and address up skilling requirements
The Minister also turned the sod on a new MERITS enterprise hub to be constructed on an adjacent site. The project is being supported by her Department’s Regional Enterprise Development Fund.
The Minister said:
“The collaboration in evidence here in Naas is a great example of what these new Regional Enterprise Plans are fundamentally about. The Regional Enterprise Plan for the Mid-East that I am launching today sets out a number of key strategic areas where regional stakeholders working together will provide a basis for future enterprise development and job creation that is sustainable in the longer term.
“I am pleased to note that jobs growth has been strong in all regions, including the Mid-East, since we launched our first regional jobs plans in early 2015. There are 32,200 more people at work in the Mid-East today, and the unemployment rate has reduced from 9.6 percent down to 5.8 percent.”
