Regional enterprise development and sustainable local job creation continues to be a key policy priority of mine and this Government.
Throughout 2021, my Department has overseen the development of nine new Regional Enterprise Plans to 2024, including for the South-West, which covers Counties Cork and Kerry.
The South-West Regional Enterprise Plan Steering Committee is chaired by Patricia Quane, retired VP & General Manager of Astellas Ireland, and includes Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, LEO’s, Local Authorities, Regional Assemblies, Higher Education bodies, and others, all of whom are focused on creating and sustaining employment opportunities in the region.
A key feature and strength of these Plans is that they are developed using a ‘bottom-up’ approach, developed by regional stakeholders who are keenly aware of the growth opportunities and vulnerabilities in their region.
As an important part of developing the new South-West Plan, a virtual facilitated consultation event was held for regional stakeholders in the South-West, which has contributed to the focus of the new South-West Plan.
With guidance from my Department, regional stakeholders were asked to consider a number of priority themes including how to:
- enable recovery and build enterprise resilience in the context of COVID-19 and other external shocks;
- address the twin transition imperative for enterprises to digitalise and contribute to a carbon neutral economy;
- improve regional competitiveness, and,
- capitalise on existing and emerging sectoral strengths and capabilities through smart specialisation.
The new Regional Enterprise Plan for the South-West Region has been finalised and six Strategic Objectives agreed, which will be delivered throughout the lifetime of the plan. I will be launching the Plan in the South-West in the coming weeks.
