‘Kilkenny People’ articles: Shaping the future of employment
As outlined in the last post, a series of Development Plan articles from the ‘Kilkenny People’ are being reproduced on this blog, courtesy of Tess Felder. Today’s article is about employment. The articles were intended to provoke interest and stimulate debate. Please feel free to comment on any issue or question raised by the posts. The Draft Plan is being prepared at the moment, and will be published in June. In the meantime, anyone can make a comment or continue the debate on this site. All comments made will be considered in the next (Draft) phase of the process.
Shaping the Future of Employment in Kilkenny (Article first published Kilkenny People 13th July 2012)
The new County and City Development Plans for the period 2014-2020 will provide a planning framework for economic development in Kilkenny over the next six years. What emerges from the debate throughout the plan-making process will be critical in shaping the plan.
According to Eurostat, in March 2012, Ireland had an unemployment rate of 14.5%. Kilkenny has not been immune to this drastic loss in jobs. Live Register figures for Kilkenny as of January 2012 showed a total of 13,479 people unemployed in the county.
So how can the county create enough jobs to offer choice to people who want to work in Kilkenny? What sort of jobs should they be?
The Invest Kilkenny Forum is now forging new links, showcasing local success stories at an international level. There are many high-profile employers in the county, such as Glanbia, State Street, SmartPly and Taxback, so how can the county capitalise on these big names?
A new Research and Innovation Centre opened in 2012 on the campus of St Kieran’s College, an initiative between Waterford Institute of Technology, Institute of Technology Carlow and the Kilkenny Local Authorities’ Invest Kilkenny campaign that will see entrepreneurs, academics and start-up companies working side by side. Kilkenny’s strengths already lie in financial services, tourism and the agricultural sectors – should the county continue to consolidate these areas or look elsewhere for new opportunities?
Creative industries are also Kilkenny’s strength. What can be done to encourage creative employment to flourish?
If you are a registered member on this site, please make a new comment below and continue the debate.
