I have no plans to request the industrial development agencies to initiate an additional intensive job creation programme for the mid-west region as I am satisfied that the efforts of Shannon Development and IDA Ireland, which are the relevant agencies in this context, are continuing to show results in terms of job creation and maintenance of existing jobs in the region.
The 2002 employment survey is currently under way and while preliminary indications are that job numbers may be slightly down on 2001, both Shannon Development and IDA Ireland believe that the economic prospects for the mid-west region remain positive. Shannon Development considers that the key to development of the indigenous industry sector is through the development of international markets. Small and medium-sized enterprises must harness all the potential competitive advantages they can gather if they are to be successful in these markets. Shannon Development has two fundamental approaches to supporting the indigenous sector: development of new indigenous industry and maintenance of existing indigenous industry.
A number of new approaches have been taken by Shannon Development to improve the indigenous sector's competitiveness and efficiency. Among these are the world-class business programme designed specifically for small businesses seeking improvement in their business and manufacturing processes; the e-cluster pilot initiative targeted at small businesses with the objective of making companies aware of the benefits of e-business and e-commerce; the exporters' club focused on a small number of SMEs who have just started or who are planning to enter export markets; and AlumniStart, a new programme specifically designed to assist Irish graduates to research and develop new business opportunities.