ALMOST €800,000 was paid out to small to medium companies in Limerick city, creating nearly 400 jobs last year. The figures were announced yesterday at a meeting of the Limerick City Enterprise Board, which also said that 84 new businesses started last year.
Despite 208 job losses in the city in 2011, the enterprise board chief executive officer Eamon Ryan remained upbeat.
“I think there is confidence,” Mr Ryan said. “The other agencies, the IDA and Enterprise Ireland, are certainly playing their part, too. I think we’ve seen more activity by the IDA in this region in the last year than for a number of years.
“We’re hoping that a number of big projects can be brought to this region during the year. I think a combination of all the agencies under the department working together will instil a bit of confidence into the sector.”
Board chairman and outgoing city manager Tom Mackey said the board had been “excellent” in its work in creating 369 new jobs last year, comprising 241 full-time and 128 part-time jobs.
The European Globalisation Fund made an allocation to Ireland for the first time following the closure of Dell’s manufacturing operation in Limerick in January 2009, which resulted in 2,000 job losses. Some of the fund was returned to Europe because an allocation deadline was not met.
Taking into account company closures and job losses in 2011, there was an overall net gain of 100 full-time and 61 part-time jobs in the city in small business supported by the City Enterprise Board and the fund.
Overall, 225 businesses are operating in the city, supported by the board, employing 1,499 full-time and 535 part-time people. While some of these businesses are new, others have been in business since the board started its work in 1993.
One thousand participants took part in some aspect of the board’s training and development programme in 2011, 372 of whom were male and 628 female, showing an increase of 231 on 2010.
The training and development programmes of the board are divided into seminars and workshops, mentoring and advice, skills training and development programmes, business development programmes, management development programmes and networking opportunities.