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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"RecruitAuto.ie, Ireland\u2019s specialist automotive recruitment website welcomes news that a net total of 3,679 new full and part-time jobs were delivered in 2016 by the 6,846 small\u00a0businesses from across the country that have been supported by the Local Enterprise Offices\u00a0(LEOs). This is according to the results of the latest LEO annual jobs survey published today by Minister\u00a0Mary Mitchell O\u2019Connor, T.D.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The results, compiled by Enterprise Ireland, show that overall in 2016 a total of 7,883 new full and\u00a0part time jobs were created in gross terms amongst LEO supported companies. A total of 40 LEO\u00a0client companies became eligible for transfer to the Enterprise Ireland portfolio during 2016,\u00a0representing a further positive outcome of LEO investment and support. The total number of people\u00a0employed in LEO supported small businesses stood at 34,634 at the end of 2016 according to the\u00a0survey.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The 31 LEOs nationwide, who are run in partnership by Enterprise Ireland and the Local Authorities,\u00a0provide a \u2018first stop shop\u2019 for enterprise supports and sign-posting to start-ups, micro enterprises\u00a0and small businesses locally in one easily accessible place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Commenting on the 2016 LEO results, Mary Mitchell O\u2019Connor, T.D., Minister for Jobs, Enterprise\u00a0and Innovation said \u201cI very much welcome the creation of 3,679 net new jobs in LEO supported\u00a0\u00a0companies during 2016. The LEOs have established themselves as a strong force in job creation in\u00a0the regions with 10 new jobs created every day on average over the past three years in LEO client\u00a0companies. That is a remarkable performance and is a clear indication of the strong job creation\u00a0potential that exists in new start-ups and smaller companies right around the country. It also\u00a0demonstrates that the supports structure for enterprise development at local level delivered through\u00a0the LEOs is making a real difference. \u00a0I want to pay tribute in particular to the people working in the\u00a031 LEOs for their hard work in supporting their clients.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Minister added, \u201cThe LEOs are a key element of the Government focus on driving economic\u00a0development in the regions. As the first-stop-shop for enterprise development in each Local\u00a0Authority area, the LEOs are ideally placed to support entrepreneurship and job creation in every\u00a0county. All micro and small businesses are operating in a challenging environment so I would urge\u00a0them, and any budding entrepreneurs, to make contact with their LEO to explore the full range of\u00a0supports on offer.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julie Sinnamon, CEO Enterprise Ireland, commented \u201cEnterprise Ireland\u2019s ambition is to help all\u00a0regions to grow to the maximum potential based on their strengths and capabilities and the Local\u00a0Enterprise Offices are vital in delivering on this ambition. In the 3 years since the LEOs were\u00a0established, more than 10,500 net new jobs have been created by LEO client companies. I am also\u00a0delighted to see that during 2016, 40 companies progressed from the LEOs into the Enterprise\u00a0Ireland portfolio, demonstrating their ambition and potential to \u2018Build Scale, Expand Reach\u2019 into\u00a0global markets, the key strategic priority for Enterprise Ireland.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Enterprise Ireland Centre of Excellence will continue to work closely with the LEOs and our\u00a0Local Authority partners to ensure a continuation of this strong performance. Local enterprise\u00a0development is an important activity to cultivate and nurture the next wave of successful indigenous\u00a0Irish companies. It is important that all local and regional development partners including the LEOs,\u00a0the enterprise agencies, the Local Authorities, education and training providers, Local Action\u00a0Groups, Community Enterprise Centres etc. work ever more closely together to ensure that the\u00a0local potential for entrepreneurship and job creation is realised,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
The LEO annual jobs survey monitors employment performance amongst micro enterprises\u00a0employing 10 people or less that have received direct financial assistance through the LEOs. In\u00a02016, 1,040 business projects around the country were directly supported by the LEOs to the value\u00a0of \u20ac11.4 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A total of 40 LEO client companies transferred to the Enterprise Ireland portfolio during 2016, of\u00a0which 32 were HPSU clients, representing a further positive outcome of LEO investment and\u00a0support.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alongside direct grant support, LEOs also supported hundreds of entrepreneurs and small\u00a0businesses with training, mentoring and referral during 2016, aimed at developing business ideas\u00a0and building company capacity. More than 27,600 people availed of training programmes facilitated\u00a0by the LEOs nationwide, while almost 7,500 people benefited from one-to-one business mentoring.\u00a0<\/p>\n
During 2016, the LEOs were again to the forefront in supporting youth entrepreneurship, access to\u00a0finance initiatives and getting more microenterprises doing business online. A record number of\u00a01,842 young entrepreneurs participated in Ireland\u2019s Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) investment\u00a0programme in 2016; the LEOs guided 208 of their clients nationally in securing successful loan\u00a0applications from Micro Finance Ireland (MFI); while a total of 1,161 micro businesses availed of the\u00a0Trading Online Voucher Scheme through the LEOs last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Details on all the supports available for small businesses and microenterprises through the 31 LEOs\u00a0are available at\u00a0www.localenterprise.ie<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
RecruitAuto.ie, Ireland\u2019s specialist automotive recruitment website welcomes news that a net total of 3,679 new full and part-time jobs were delivered in 2016 by the 6,846 small\u00a0businesses from across the country that have been supported by the Local Enterprise Offices\u00a0(LEOs). This is according to the results of the latest LEO annual jobs survey published today […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11966,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[399,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-irish-news","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n