Local Enterprise Week 2016: Sector specific initiatives

The Local Enterprise Office Wicklow offers a number of sector specific initiatives, to businesses in the County operating in sectors for which County Wicklow has a particularly affinity or competence. Food is a very important sector, and to recognise this, LEO Wicklow has funded the Food Academy, in conjunction with Bord Bia and Musgraves, for the past few years. This high level programme is focused at food businesses that wish to move from market stall to supermarket shelves, and covers the legal, technical and business challenges faced by such businesses. Successful graduates include, The Birds and the Teas relishes, Old Mac Donald’s Farm yoghurts, Janet Drew sauces and Raindrop Drinks.

The Craft sector is generously supported by the Local Enterprise Offices nationally each year, when 85 craft businesses are part-funded to exhibit at the Enterprise Zone of the prestigious Showcase Trade Show at the RDS. In addition many LEO Wicklow client businesses are supported through grants and mentoring to exhibit in the main hall. The four exhibitors in the Co. Wicklow area of the ‘Enterprise Zone’ in 2016 enjoyed great success and trade orders. They were: Catherine Cunningham of the Craft Bird, a unique milk paint product; Helen Magee of Hairy Fruit Art; Geraldine Leonard, textile artist; and Mette O’Connor of AMOC Jewellery in Greystones.

Sectors such as software development, light engineering and small scale manufacturing will continue to be strongly supported by the Local Enterprise Office through its mainstream grant schemes, due to their important contribution to job creation and exports. LEO Wicklow will support a number of engineering companies to attend MACH 2016, a manufacturing technologies trade show in Birmingham this April.

The film industry, which has contributed over €70 million to the local economy in recent years, will become more of a focus for LEO Wicklow, with industry specific training courses for small and medium businesses wishing to benefit from the massive growth in this industry here, particularly at Ardmore and Ashford studios. The Local Enterprise Office will work in partnership with Wicklow County Council on new initiatives in this area. Promoting a film industry cluster in the county and putting in place practical supports to develop studio capacity is a key objective of the County Wicklow Economic Think Tank (a collaboration between local business, Wicklow County Council and the Local Enterprise Office Wicklow).