JULY 2004

IBEC Meet Chamber on New Initiative for Inishowen

A new training programme which is providing a major success in shops in Dublin could soon be coming to Inishowen. Sean Carlin, who works with the employers' group IBEC, held discussions about the programme with members of the Buncrana Chamber of Commerce.

The meeting at Tullyarvin Mill heard that the Retail Skillnet programme has delivered excellent results already in a pilot scheme in other parts of Donegal, and is being extended to Dublin and Cork. Well-know stores which are already involved include Arnotts and Cleary's and it's thought more retailers are preparing to sign up shortly. Sean said "Our motto is ' A career in retail, not a job in a shop'. Basically this is all about 'on the job' training for staff which really delivers for both the businesses and the people involved." Sean said the programme was particularly important for an area such as Inishowen. "We all know what the picture has been in the peninsula in recent years in terms of jobs lost in industry, but what isn't so well known is how the retail sector picked up the pieces after that. Many people affected by redundancy found a new start in retail, and that's the sort of people being helped by Retail Skillnet programme."

The meeting with the Chamber members also discussed other services which IBEC could provide employers in the peninsula. "IBEC have the expertise to help out in a lot of areas, and we find that we're called in quite a bit on human resources issues, such as employment contracts. This is an area which is getting a lot of attention these days, business is primarily about people."

Sean said he was impressed with the enthusiasm of Chamber members in Buncrana, and he hoped this was only the beginning of his link with them. "We are going to carry out a survey among employers in Inishowen to find out what their needs are, and when that's completed we'll begin having more discussions with the Chamber about what can be done," he said.

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