The Mid-West Region Action Plan for Jobs 2015-2017 has called for the establishment of an Enterprise Engagement Platform whereby information on all the support services available to enterprise could be easily accessed online.
As a first step in this process, the Chamber of Shannon, Ennis and Limerick have organised an ‘offline’ funding seminar and showcase to enable a wide range of public and private sector funders present their offerings and be available for one-to-one meetings with companies.
The seminar, which takes place on Wednesday, 19 October in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ennis Road, Limerick, is being officially opened by Pat Breen T.D., Minister for Employment and Small Business. It is being supported by the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI), commences at 8am and will conclude at 10.00am.
Speaking ahead of the seminar, Shannon Chamber’s chief executive Helen Downes said: “The genesis for this event was a meeting we had with our SME members, who expressed an interest in knowing exactly what types and levels of financial support was available to them at the various stages of their development. A further discussion with the SBCI on how this could be achieved has led to a terrific buy-in from a wide range of funding organisations, keen to ensure that their offerings are fully understood by businesses.
“The format of the event is that all funders will give a 5-minute overview of their offerings and then, should companies wish to do so, they can engage further with organisations of most relevance to them. We are delighted that Minister Breen has agreed to open the event, given that his portfolio is focused on employment and small business. Having a Ministerial presence at an event of this nature is a great boost, particularly when regional and rural job creation is a central priority of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, and a large percentage of the Department’s €555 million budget is going towards supporting the creation of such jobs.”
“This seminar and showcase is the ideal opportunity for anyone in business or considering starting a business to get a first-hand overview of the funding available to them,” added Ms Downes.
Booking for the event, which is free of charge, can still be made at http://www.shannonchamber.ie/events-training/