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Enterprise Ireland Staff

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 April 2014

Tuesday, 15 April 2014

Questions (125)

Dara Calleary

Question:

125. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the budget for the potential exporters division of Enterprise Ireland; the number of staff it employs; the way its work can be enhanced to support indigenous firms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17460/14]

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Written answers

Enterprise Ireland’s Potential Exporters Division (PED) works with Irish companies that have the drive and ambition to grow their business by winning international sales. Exporting can help secure a company’s future, safeguard and grow Irish jobs, expose Irish businesses to a whole new world of ideas and see them competing and winning against the best in the world. The Potential Exporters Division has 10.5 staff (FTE) and provided €2.3m financial support to help Irish Companies break into export markets for the first time in 2013.

In addition to working directly with companies to enhance their export capability through the use of the full range of available supports, the PED holds “Export Awareness Events” and “Exploring Exporting Workshops” across the regions for new and early exporters to develop the tools and techniques needed to succeed in export markets. Enterprise Ireland (EI) is committed to helping companies strengthen their export readiness and export selling capabilities. EI offers customised training and access to experts, matched to a company’s level of export awareness to save time and money and increase their chances of export success.

The “Export Awareness Events” are workshops that are run regularly in a number of locations around Ireland and are aimed at companies thinking of exporting for the first time. In 2013, ten Export Awareness Events were held across the regions and a similar number will be held in 2014.

The Exploring Exporting Workshops are a series of workshops focused on helping first-time exporting companies become export ready. Topics include:

- conducting market research;

- defining the export value-proposition;

- advising on the processes for exporting and the exportable offer.

Business mentors are available to work with client companies to identify the issues they need to address to become export ready. In 2013, eleven “Exploring Exporting Workshops” were held across the regions and a similar number will be held in 2014.

The role of the PED continues to evolve to meet the needs of companies and the corresponding market opportunities. So far this year, EI have initiated a “Meet the UK Market Team” event to offer companies, making progress in developing their export capability and a market plan, to meet face-to-face with the EI UK market team. This allows these companies to gain insights into market specific opportunities and challenges relating to their business. Three of these events will take place in 2014, in Cork, Dublin and Galway with possible additional events being driven by client demand.

The new Local Enterprise Office (LEO) network, working seamlessly with EI, will enhance the reach of export capability building and other supports, and bring new opportunities to a wider number of new and existing businesses.

My Department continuously monitors the needs of Irish businesses to ensure that policy and programmes reflect their needs. My Department will continue to use the annual Action Plan for Jobs process as the key vehicle for implementing specific and practical measures to support indigenous firms and to continue to deliver on the Government’s commitment to job creation.

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