5 projects in the Midlands receive funding through Enterprise Ireland's €2m LEO Competitive Fund
1st June 2016
Enterprise Ireland today (Wednesday 1 June) announced the allocation of €2m in funding for local and regional initiatives to support new businesses and jobs across the country under the LEO Competitive Fund. An additional €3m was awarded through the Community Enterprise Initiative.
This funding is the beginning of a new approach to supporting job creation initiatives at local and regional level in support of the Regional Acton Plans for Jobs. In line with the commitment in the Programme for Partnership Government to create jobs in every region of the country, this €2m allocation will support ‘bottom up’ projects where the Local Enterprise Offices will group together to create collaborative projects in their region.
Welcoming the funding allocation, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, said:
“Every parish, county and region knows it has particular strengths that can create jobs. The Government is committed to supporting that effort. In my first few weeks as Minister, I am impressed by the commitment of everyone involved in the Regional Action Plans for Jobs. Local and regional organisations, public and private, have committed to work together in the drive for jobs and to create the opportunities for people to live and work in their local communities. I am determined to support these regions to help them to achieve their potential and their ambition. In that regard, I am particularly pleased that Enterprise Ireland will issue a 2nd call later this year and work with interested groups to deliver quality projects in their regions.”
Funded Projects involving Local Enterprise Offices in the Midlands are detailed below:
LEO Westmeath, LEO Laois, LEO Offaly, LEO Longford
The Midlands Engineering Cluster Programme is a structured programme of market-led innovation, best practice transfer and product and trade development. It will create a new synergy between engineering enterprises; educational institutions and support agencies in the region that will aid their sustainability
LEO Offaly, LEO Westmeath, LEO Longford, LEO Laois
The Midlands One to Two Growth Initiative will break down inherent job creation obstacles by assisting carefully selected solo entrepreneurs from across the Midlands in overcoming the legal, regulatory and administrative barriers to adopting employer status, thus stimulating new employment creation and business expansion.
LEO Longford, LEO Leitrim, LEO Cavan, LEO Roscommon
The Graduate Internship for Entrepreneurship Programme. Through this programme, graduates will be connected with full-time, paid internship centred on a two way skills transfer – graduates will transfer new skills and approaches, employers will transfer entrepreneurial learning and experience of running/managing a business
LEO Laois, LEO Wexford, LEO Tipperary, LEO Waterford, LEO Wicklow, LEO Kilkenny, LEO Carlow, LEO Kildare
A pilot programme that will offer carefully selected micro-enterprises with growth ambitions the opportunity to benefit from concentrated support from the dedicated advisory panel of 3 experts per enterprise.
LEO Longford, LEO Leitrim, LEO Cavan, LEO Roscommon
This initiative will provide the opportunity for shared learning, dynamic trade development and knowledge transfer in the creative sector which will result in job creation and greater sustainability of the often challenged creative sector with a specific emphasis on the craft sector.
