YOUTH & EMPLOYMENT
I am very committed to developing and strengthening much needed youth services in West Cork. I find youth and employment issues intrinsically intertwined. The geography of Cork alone can make it a very isolating place, which is something that can impact heavily on the mental health of young people. The future generations of rural Ireland must be given the opportunity and resources to allow them to bring a vibrancy and dynamism to the future of rural Ireland. Let’s focus on creating education and employment in West Cork that supports and enables our young people to stay. Youth Cafés, Youth Information, Youth Supports, Broadband and Employment Services are vital in their development.
I am deeply involved and committed to the creation of much needed jobs and employment for the region. The continuing rise in unemployment figures for Cork County is extremely worrying and needs to be addressed immediately. Local jobs and local industry is vital in West Cork and is a high priority goal of mine. I am committed to the task of attracting key services to the region and developing the supports for entrepreneurs who want to start their own businesses in their local area.
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Ongoing training and updating of work skills is a key factor in keeping jobs in West Cork as is the task of attracting key services to the region and the supports for entrepreneurs who want to start up their own businesses in their local area. Supporting established and new emerging businesses in West Cork has been on of my key priorities since my election. I have been a board member of the West Cork Enterprise Board, which assists in the development of micro-enterprises in West Cork and provides management training and mentoring services.
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Cork County Council established an Economic Development Fund in 2010 consisting of €1m – a re-investment of 1% of commercial rates income specifically for enterprise support. €1m has been committed each year since then which has assisted many local businesses in the West Cork region to strengthen and expand along with providing valuable mentoring and financial assistance to many businesses in their respective areas in order to sustain and expand where possible. Local businesses and I will continue to ensure this level of support into the future.