The measures include dissolving County and City Enterprise Boards and instead creating a new Micro-Enterprise and Small Business Unit in Enterprise Ireland. This will work with local authorities to establish a new network of local enterprise offices in each local authority.

The plan says a new range of supports will be implemented for small and medium-sized businesses struggling to access credit, such as a €150m Development Capital Scheme aimed at mid-sized, high-growth indigenous companies with prospects for jobs and export growth.

A new Potential Exporters Division will be established in Enterprise Ireland to better support indigenous exporters. Up to €1.2m in extra funding per year will also be supplied for mentoring and management development networks.

There will be increased mentoring of SMEs by business leaders, multinationals and large Irish companies. The Government will also assist small businesses to engage in R&D and to win big contracts from the Government and large multinationals.

Direct incentives will be provided to members of the diaspora and others across the world to create jobs in Ireland.

The Government will implement a Research Prioritisation Plan and enact new laws aimed at the State’s €500m annual research budget towards more applied areas of research which has potential for commercialisation and job creation.

It will reduce costs, such as a request to Government department and agencies to identify charges levied on businesses that can be frozen or reduced for 24 months.

Sectors of growth

The Government will also target numerous sectors it believes will be major sources of job creation and economic growth.

A Cloud Computing Strategy for the Public Service will be created and a research centre in cloud computing will be established to boost this sector in the IT industry.

It will establish a cluster development team for digital games and will establish other industry clusters for targeted sectors.

A Manufacturing Development Forum will be established for the manufacturing sector and a Health Innovation Hub will be created to drive collaboration between the heath system and the life-sciences industry.

A Cross-Departmental Plan will be published and implemented for the green economy and the Government aims to win more investment from multinational food companies for the agri-food sector.

“The ultimate goal and top priority of Government has always been to get Ireland back to work,” said Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

“It is the all-consuming obsession of every cabinet minister at a time when we have never seen more people unemployed. Economic recovery has to be matched by a jobs recovery.  

“When the Government was first formed, we were presented with a series of urgent challenges that demanded immediate attention to stabilise the economy and restore a degree of confidence in Ireland. This was necessary for new investment and job growth.  

“Now we must do more. This is why Government has put together this Action Plan for Jobs. We will target specific sectors with new policy supports and improve the way Government interacts with businesses by cutting costs and red tape. I will ensure that Government works hard to deliver on this ambitious plan,” Kenny said.

The plan, which contains more than 250 measures, focuses on competition, the financial services sector, supporting indigenous businesses, and encouraging foreign direct investment.

The Government would also like to encourage more co-operation with companies in the life sciences area, with nine out of the top 10 global pharmaceutical companies operating out of Ireland, the Irish Times reported.

The event was established at the end of 2009, when senior women from member organisations came together as the economic decline presented new challenges for the industry. 

“The technology industry is male dominated and women are under represented at all levels in the sector, but especially in decision-making positions,” said Joanne Charles, product marketing manager at HP Ireland and CWIT committee member.

“Technology plays a key role in the Irish economy and there are an increasing number of opportunities for women. The CWIT group provides a forum and network for women in the sector to provide support and encourage them to go further and to attract more women into the industry.

“The key theme today is to shine a light on why women should aspire to be in senior positions and how to develop their personal skills or brand to get them to that level,” she said.

One of the challenges that companies face is having the right environment to grow and Charles highlighted the need for diverse workforces and management to enable this.

“There is quite a lot of evidence to support the fact that companies which have a diverse management team and structure outperform companies that don’t,” said Charles.

“Our motto is that we support initiatives, whether they’re in the education sector or in companies, for females to become empowered. We provide them with knowledge and we provide them with a communicative networking session so that they can mingle with females who are in similar careers within their own companies,” she said.

Charles said that the recent event specifically targeted top-performing, entry-level women in the technology industry who would be likely to move into managerial positions in the foreseeable future.

Personal vision

Speaking at the event was Dr Maureen Gaffney, professor of psychology and society at UCD and author of Flourishing. She believes that women in particular need to have a vision of themselves at their best to help advance their own profile at work.

“In all aspects of your life, but in particular, when it comes to your professional life, it is not how ‘I should be’ but ‘me at my best’,” said Gaffney.

“That largely depends on it being capable of arousing basic positive emotions that drives human behaviour so managing negative emotions that can get in the way. This is something that we should work at to help us to progress our professional and personal lives.  

“Facts convince but it is emotions that motivate the action and reaction you desire. However, creating a personal vision sometimes arouses uncomfortable issues for women - for example, the disconnect between the internal sense of self-confidence they hold and the way they express it openly.”

"To be at your best, you need to be attuned to the values that drive you and what strongly motivates you. This personal vision redefines you and what you stand for in an authentic and persuasive way to others around you in your workplace," she said.

“The tech sector is one of the bright spots on the employment horizon in Ireland, with many companies struggling to find the brightest and best in IT,” said Silicon Republic CEO, Ann O’Dea. “Our readers span the industry employers and those knowledge workers with an eye on the jobs market, so it’s the ideal environment to connect companies and potential recruits in the high-tech and creative sectors.”

“We love the approach that Zartis has taken to making online recruitment painless, and of course, the fact the model has a strong element of social recruiting,” continued O’Dea. “It made them an ideal partner for us. We aim to make the Jobs Board a one-stop shop for active jobs seekers and for those with an eye to moving up the scale.”

Zartis founder John Dennehy agrees. “Siliconrepublic.com is the destination of choice for those looking for the latest news and information on the tech sector in Ireland and internationally, so we’re delighted to get involved with the team there on this new initiative. It’s a fantastic platform for employers to reach a highly targeted audience.”

Employers and candidates alike, if you’re at Career Zoo this weekend, why not pop over and meet us at stand G4 in the Mansion House and we can tell you more.

Many tech firms will be there offering job opportunities for attendees, including Twitter, Valeo Vision Systems, BioWare, AOL, McAfee, Amazon, EMC Ireland and Ericsson.

Non-technological companies, such as Deloitte, will also be at the event looking for technology professionals. There will also be a wide variety of other positions on offer.

Along with job opportunities, there will be educators such as DIT, UCD Smurfit and TCD School of Business showcasing courses which will allow people to transfer their skills between industry sectors. There will be conversion course providers, such as Skillnets, which will have courses to allow people to train in a different career path from their original degree in as short a time as six months.

Siliconrepublic.com, a media partner of Career Zoo, will also have a stand at the event, so feel free to come along and see us.

Entry to the event is free of charge, though visitors are advised to register online to gain faster entry.

Siliconrepublic.com is hosting Skills February, a month dedicated to news, reports, interviews and videos covering a range of topics on the digital skills debate.

The jobs announcement was one of a major raft of job creations announced this afternoon by IDA Ireland, including 325 at Abbot Laboratories in Sligo which is expanding its manufacturing facility and 30 new software engineering jobs at Big Fish Games in Cork.

The new roles will be ranged across a variety of projects where the new worker will build, test and deploy large scale systems using the latest and emerging technologies such as cloud-based infrastructures and multiple delivery channels such as mobile, video and social media.

HP Ireland managing director Martin Murphy explained that HP's operations in Kildare and Galway are considered centres of excellence within HP and Irish engineers are at the forefront of developing cutting edge technologies for the needs of HP customers in the US, Europe, China, India and Asia.
The new recruits, he explained will join teams developing these technologies.

Key factors in winning the investment, he explained were an improvement in Irish competitiveness and the crucial support of IDA Ireland.

“Ultimately the reason why we were successful in bringing these jobs to Ireland is because the teams in Ireland have a proven track-record of delivering quality. They have strong credentials in terms of delivering on projects.

“In addition we have been able to find the skills we were looking for to fill our previous announcements."

Murphy said that HP's Irish operations are cultivating a strong position as one of the core R&D centres for R&D. The Galway operation, for example, is a major cloud centre for HP.

HP generates 1,000 new jobs in last three years

In the last three years, despite the recession, HP in Ireland has been successful in attracting more than 1,000 new jobs to the country. The creation of the Global Services Desk in March 2009 generated 500 jobs, and the expansion of the company's Galway operation in 2010, with the creation of 50 jobs. In addition, the company announced 120 jobs at its Dublin operations in September 2010 and 105 jobs at its Galway operations in December 2010, which were followed by a further 50 new jobs.

"This is great news for Galway, Leixlip and Ireland, with the announcement of 150 high-end R&D jobs as well as approximately 130 related jobs in this world-leading company," the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, TD said.

"In the coming weeks the Government's Action Plan for Jobs will build on announcements like this to deepen the impact of multinational investment here, and target sectors like ICT where we have built substantial strengths in recent years. By setting ambitious targets and implementing reforms across the economy we can achieve the growth and jobs we so badly need," Minister Bruton added.

Barry O'Leary, CEO of IDA Ireland said that HP and IDA Ireland have enjoyed a long and successful business relationship and HP's decision to locate this R&D expansion in Ireland further solidifies the company's integral position in Ireland's  ICT portfolio.

‘'R&D investment is recognised by IDA as playing a key role in Ireland's return to economic growth; embedding existing employment and paving the way for further job growth in the future.

“HP's decision to locate up to 280 new jobs in Ireland over the next three years, 150 of which are supported by IDA Ireland, is most welcome news. I wish HP every success with this operation and offer the company the continued support of IDA Ireland as it continues to grow here.''

The HP recruitment drive will commence immediately.

The new jobs will include skilled roles in engineering, quality, pharmaceutical science and other science-based areas. The majority of jobs will be added during construction and the remainder will be recruited after the expansion is complete.

In addition to these 175 jobs, another 150 temporary jobs will be created in construction.

“Abbott has had a presence in Ireland for more than 65 years and began manufacturing in the country in 1974,” said Dr Azita Saleki-Gerhardt, president of Global Pharmaceutical Operations at Abbott.

“Sligo is an important part of Abbott's pharmaceutical manufacturing network and we are pleased to expand it to support future production needs. The success of our Sligo facility is due to the dedication of its staff and management.

“This state-of-the-art expansion will enable us to produce innovative therapies that we expect will represent significant advances in the treatment of cancer, chronic kidney disease and viral infections,” said Saleki-Gerhardt.

Barry O’Leary, CEO of Ireland, welcomed the announcement, saying that Abbott Ireland is of "key importance" to Ireland’s life sciences sector, which contributes substantially to Ireland’s export economy.

“(Abbott) is part of a strong cluster of life-sciences companies in the northwest region, which is hugely important to the local economy,” said O’Leary.

‘’Abbott, with 13 manufacturing, commercial and shared services sites across the country, continues to go from strength to strength and employs nearly 4,000 people. I wish Abbott Ireland every success with this new venture and offer the continued support of IDA Ireland as the company further develops its Irish operations,” he said.

The company plans to expand its cloud gaming research initiative, meaning it will recruit 30 software engineers for its Cork-based RD&I centre.

“Much like Netflix changed the way we view movies today, allowing film entertainment to be accessed on over 800 devices, Big Fish’s cloud gaming service will transform the marketplace for premium casual entertainment by bringing our millions of mainstream customers that much closer to the thousands of wonderful games created by our in-house studios and game development partners,” said Jeremy Lewis, Big Fish Games’ CEO.

“As the trusted leader in premium casual entertainment, Big Fish will be delighting consumers anywhere, anytime, on the platform of their choice," he said.

The games company, which has more than 2,500 titles and 1.5bn downloads, will also be a major contributor to the Games Ireland Gathering, where company representatives will discuss its upcoming opportunities and technologies.

The growth of cloud computing and gaming

“As part of the Government’s plan to address the employment crisis, we are determined to build on the sectors of strength we have built up over recent years, as well as selecting new sectors where Ireland can become a world leader,” said Richard Bruton, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.

“Over the past 20 years, we have build up a base of multinational companies in the IT sector which is the envy of many other countries; however, now we must target those areas where the growth of the future is going to spring, such as cloud computing and digital gaming,” he said.

The development is being supported by IDA Ireland. Barry O’Leary, CEO of IDA Ireland, said he was "delighted" that Big Fish Games had chosen Ireland as the location in which it will conduct this research.

“Ireland’s competencies in areas such as cloud computing and software engineering, together with its vibrant digital media portfolio, make it a perfect fit with innovative companies in this space,” said O’Leary.

“There are now more than 1,500 people employed in the computer games industry in Ireland, and today’s announcement reinforces Ireland’s reputation as a leading location for digital media companies. 

“Furthermore, the investment establishes Cork as a leading RD&I Centre of Excellence in cloud computing,” he said.

The research also revealed that contracting was spreading into other areas beyond the traditional IT and engineering sectors.

“We are seeing a steep rise in the level of contract work available in Ireland, particularly in manufacturing, light industrial and pharmaceutical sectors as many companies are not in a position to increase their permanent headcount but can offer contract work," said Anne Fanthom, managing director, Recruitment Plus. "These contracts are frequently extended. We are predicting a sharp growth in this trend in 2012.”

Roles that require high skill levels are seeing the largest growth in contingency workforces. Contract workers with viable skills in the pharmaceutical sector, for example, are able to demand premium rates and continually upgrade their skills.

Contract workers in the pharmaceutical sector have the opportunity to work in varied roles and diversify their skills, Fanthom said.

"As well as this, the nature of this work allows professionals to take time off to invest in further training, putting them ahead of their peers in permanent positions.”

Fergal Lennon, managing director of CXC, added that multinational companies are driving the contracting market.

"The flexibility and high quality of the contract workforce available in Ireland allow the Irish operations of multinational companies to compete effectively with other locations to bring projects to Ireland," said Lennon.

"It’s a good time to be a contractor in Ireland today. Contracting is a long-term lifestyle that allows a professional to have career control and flexibility as well as a premium salary.

"The reality today is that permanent workers can’t guarantee a future in a company. However, contract workers can exercise control over their careers," said Lennon.

It's estimated that 55pc of high-level ICT skills are being met through inward migration, meaning that more needs to be done to boost ICT skills in the domestic market.

"One of the key competitive advantages for Irish technology companies, be it multinational or indigenous, is the high quality of skills that are available in Ireland for workers in the technology sector," says Paul Sweetman, director of the Irish Software Association.

"Over time, with the growth in the sector, employment has increased rapidly in it so that has created a new demand for more workers for the technology sector and employees in that area. We brought this to the Government some time ago and expressed that in order to keep the competitive advantage, we'd have to up our game."

Addressing the IT skills gap

It resulted in last week's launch of a major joint industry and Irish Government action plan to address the gap in high-level IT skills in order to ensure Ireland is at the forefront of the technology industry worldwide.

It aims to double its annual output of honours degree ICT undergraduate programmes to 2,000 graduates by 2018 through numerous educational initiatives.

"They range from short-term measures, such as conversion courses which were launched on the day itself, through to long-term policy measures such as reform of particular curriculums in second-level," explains Sweetman.

"It's trying to improve the image of the sector through things like our Smart Futures campaign and also trying to encourage closer co-operation between third-level and industry in terms of what industry would require and what universities or institutes of technology are able to deliver for the tech sector."

Sweetman points out the demand for skills in a wide range of technological fields, such as computer science and engineering.

He also says there is a need for people with skills in communications and languages.

"Certainly there's a large demand for people with skills in computer science, software engineering and electronic engineering.

"When you look at the high-tech manufacturing facilities that we have here, they're all looking for people with degrees within life sciences, within other disciplines of engineering, and then outside of those specific areas there's certainly a demand for people with strong project management skills.

"On the other side of the coin, you look at some of the companies that are developing here putting investments in place that are serving European customers, so there's a strong languages demand here, too, that may not have been here before and certainly something that you would not traditionally associate with the technology sector.

"Underpinning all of that are the companies requiring people with good communications skills and the ability to work in diverse teams with people with diverse backgrounds."

Conversion courses

One of the short-term plans from the ICT action plan was the announcement of new conversion courses. These one-year, full-time HDip courses would cater to people with degrees in other fields in order to intensively train them up in core computing and programming skills.

Sweetman hopes the courses will be successful and he has already seen strong interest in them.

"I think that the message getting out there is that there are good career opportunities (in IT) that people mightn't have looked at before and there's also impetus on the other side in particular sectors where people are qualified for are not performing as well as the technology sector," he says.

He notes, too, that ICT Ireland and the ISA have already been involved in their own conversion courses through their Skillnets programmes, which have been heavily over-subscribed.

Encouraging young people to enter the sector will be key to ensuring a greater increase on talent for the IT sector.

Sweetman believes IT could be integrated into the everyday teaching and learning process.

"It should be used as heavily in a technology subject as in a subject where you wouldn't think technology would be traditionally used, such as geography, English or any of the languages.

"Certainly there is scope, as well, for having core programming subjects in technology areas and we should expand that.

"We should also continue to really push hard on encouraging students to take on the subjects that we have already which will lead to strong careers in the technology sector, such as higher-level maths and science," he adds.

Siliconrepublic.com is hosting Skills February, a month dedicated to news, reports, interviews and videos covering a range of topics on the digital skills debate.

At present, there are as many as 5,000 job vacancies in the IT industry in Ireland.

The Special Assignee Relief Programme (SARP) was originally set at €100,000 a year and breaks were provided on the basis that the workers coming from overseas would hire other people to work on their teams.

However, according to Irish Internet Association (IIA) chief executive Joan Mulvihill, uptake tended to be low because the threshold of €100,000 was above the salaries some senior workers could be expected to be earning.

The IIA during the last summer issued a policy document recommending tax breaks to encourage overseas workers to come and work with indigenous and multinational companies.

“We hoped they would reduce the threshold to €55,000 but feel they met us halfway. There's great logic in what they've done. They have struck the right balance because under the scheme anyone earning over €75,000 which would be the range of salaries for senior executives are entitled to a tax break.

“This also leaves room for graduates of conversion courses and members of the teams that can be brought here by the senior executives and who will typically be earning in excess of €55,000."

Mulvihill said that local firms such as Paddy Power, Hostel World and SkillPages, who have to compete aggressively against well-known multinationals for experienced and talented software professionals, will find the new Finance Bill will help make life easier.

“This gives these firms an incentive to encourage senior, experienced technical people to come and work for them in Ireland.

“It is also good for multinationals if they have teams that they are trying to bring over because they can do so with better tax incentives than before," Mulvihill said.

The company's vice-president of worldwide sales Justin Endres says the Dublin operation wasted little time in making itself strategically crucial to the global business.

“The city of Dublin offers a highly talented workforce, an extraordinary culture, and a diverse array of thriving industries.

"The opening of our new downtown office is exciting for a number of reasons; not only is it a world-class facility designed to accommodate our ongoing growth, but the location is geographically ideal for servicing our partners and customers across EMEA.

“I look forward to engaging some of Ireland's top talent as Webroot continues to revolutionise the internet security industry," Endres said.

Endres said the company plans to further expand its Dublin operations in the areas of threat research, sales, inventory and fulfilment, marketing and localisation.

Congratulating the company on the opening of its new international HQ, IDA Ireland CEO Barry O'Leary said, "Since first announcing the decision to establish in Dublin in 2010, the Irish operation has quickly become a strategically important centre for Webroot. 

"We look forward to working closely with the company as it continues to grow and strengthen its international business operations."

He was creative director on EA's The Godfather, where he created the interactive script, story and mission designs, as well as writing the dialogue for the game, which involved working with actors Marlon Brando, James Caan and Robert Duvall to bring their famous roles back to life for the game.

Campbell, who hails from Portrush in Northern Ireland, is one of a stellar line-up of speakers at the Games Ireland gathering at the Gibson Hotel in Dublin on 15 February, where he will host the second in the series of Games Master Classes in association with Enterprise Ireland.

The event will be attended by executives from Activision Blizzard, PopCap Games, Havok, Big Fish Games, Electronic Arts and Microsoft.

Games entrepreneur Dylan Collins, who sold Demonware to Activision and Jolt to GameStop, will host a panel on user acquisition strategies, 'How to grow a business ninja style'.

Check out the green scene

A green screen will showcase the latest projects of games developed by Bitmith, Redwind, Openemotion, Tribal City and Ideal Binary.

The CEO of Games Ireland David Sweeney said more than 350 jobs will be on offer from existing start-ups and incumbent game development companies.

“Ireland already is an online hub for European games development but we need to get that message out around the world and deliver a single statement about all that is happening here and what is on offer," Sweeney said.

A recent report from Forfas said Ireland has the potential to more than double its employment in core games activities to 4,500 people if actions are taken to position the country as one of the most progressive and digitally advanced business hot spots.

“There has never been a better time to get into this industry and it shows from the number of companies here and hiring using the gamesireland.ie website," Sweeney said.

The most popular form of recruitment was through corporate websites and online job boards, according to 47pc of survey respondents.

Fourteen per cent of recruiters used social media to attract candidates. Of those, 92pc use LinkedIn, 43pc use Facebook and 32pc use Twitter.

Twenty-nine per cent of respondents said their company does not advertise for roles internally through their intranet. For those which do, 84pc believe it works well in the hiring process.

A quarter of the respondents said it took two months or more to hire a new member of staff. Half of the respondents said it took them four weeks to hire new members of staff.

Fifty-three per cent hoped the hiring process would become faster in 2012. Sixty-two per cent hoped the recruitment process would become more streamlined.

“We are seeing a steep rise in the level of contract work available in Ireland, particularly in manufacturing, light industrial and pharmaceutical sectors as many companies are not in a position to increase their permanent headcount but can offer contract work,” said Anne Fanthom, managing director of Recruitment Plus.

“These contracts are frequently extended. We are predicting a sharp growth in this trend in 2012," she said.

According to the research, roles which require high skills levels are seeing the largest growth in contingency workforces.

“The contracting market is driven by the multinational companies,” said Fergal Lennon, managing director of CXC.

“The flexibility and high quality of the contract workforce available in Ireland allow the Irish operations of multinational companies to compete effectively with other locations to bring projects to Ireland,” he said.

Siliconrepublic.com is hosting Skills February, a month dedicated to news, reports, interviews and videos covering a range of topics on the digital skills debate.

After a selection process that includes interviews and medical exams, NASA will select nine to 15 people to become part of the 21st astronaut class.

"This is a great time to join the NASA family," NASA administrator Charles Bolden said.

"Our newest astronauts could launch aboard the first commercial rockets to the space station, the next generation of scientists and engineers who will help us reach higher and create an American economy that is built to last."

NASA astronaut applications' process

The Astronaut Selection Office staff will review the applications to identify those meeting the minimum requirements.

Next, an expanded team, comprised mostly of active astronauts, will review those applications to determine which ones are highly qualified. Those individuals will be invited to Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, for in-person interviews and medical evaluations.

"We will be looking for people who really stand out," said Peggy Whitson, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center and chair of the Astronaut Selection Board.

"Our team will not only will be looking at their academic background and professional accomplishments, but also at other elements of their personality and character traits - what types of hobbies they have or unique life experiences. We want and need a mix of individuals and skills for this next phase of human exploration."

NASA expects to announce a final selection of astronaut candidates in the spring of 2013.

The selected astronaut candidates will then undergo two years of initial training that includes space station systems, Russian language and spacewalking skills training. Those who complete the training will be assigned technical duties within the Astronaut Office at Johnson and, ultimately, missions.

Companies at NovaUCD include social web search firm HeyStaks, Tethras, which provides localisation services for app developers, equine genetics firm Equinome, e-learning company RendezVu and energy-management company Wattics.

"NovaUCD client companies were established to translate innovative ideas into value-added products and services, including companies which are commercialising UCD research outputs,” said Prof Peter Clinch, vice-president for Innovation at UCD. 

“The development and growth of such high-tech and knowledge-intensive companies is of critical importance for Ireland’s economic recovery.

“I am delighted that the facilities and supports being made available to the start-ups located at UCD are helping these companies thrive and create quality jobs,” he said.

He said that the changes in Product2Market's business model have spawned a need to hire new full-time employees at the offices in Sandyford.

"There has been an increased demand for marketing and sales services for both SMEs and multinationals in Ireland over the past two years, especially in the area of email marketing," added Byrne.

As part of its hiring drive, the company recently took on two new employees.

Recent reports published by IBEC show that during 2012, about half of all medical technology companies in Ireland expect to recruit additional employees and two-thirds of medical technology companies expect turnover to increase during in the next five years. 

The ongoing investment and job creation reflects the vibrancy of the medical-technology sector in Ireland, according to Paraic Curtis, incoming chairman of the IMDA.

“The investment of approximately €170m is across a wide range of development, manufacturing and R&D projects. In total, these investments will create almost 875 jobs in the coming years. (The year) 2012 has also started brightly," Curtis said.

Med-tech sector poised for rapid convergence

"The industry is poised for rapid convergence between technologies which will result in more collaboration and new products in the drug-device and smart-device development," Curtis explained.

Within the report, the IMDA has identified a number of key opportunities for development over the next four years, including the potential to boost capacity, adapt to the reduction in global healthcare spend, improve Irish clinical research infrastructure and develop a culture of commercialisation in Irish universities.

Central to all of this will be the ability to enhance high-level engineering and scientific skills.

“In weathering the global economic downturn, the med-tech sector has become more productive, innovative and competitive, and will undoubtedly be a key driver of Ireland's export-led growth in coming years. 

“Having said that, the next four years will not be without challenges, with global healthcare expenditure coming under mounting pressure the challenge will be to demonstrate technologies which add value and efficiency. Given the industry's existing capacity to adapt, it is in a strong position to address these challenges," Curtis said.

Medical device inward investment

Ireland has the highest concentration of medical-device businesses anywhere in the world outside of the US and to give you an indication of the kind of energy in the sector, 2012 began with the news that 200 new jobs will be created by pharmaceutical giant Allergan as it invests €350m in its Mayo site to expand R&D and manufacturing capabilities.

The news came hot on the heels of an announcement by Cook Medical, which is investing €16.5m in an R&D operation in Limerick, where it employs 650 people.

Speaking at the launch of the IMDA's 2012-2015 strategy, Barry O'Leary, CEO of IDA Ireland, said: "Ireland is very much leading the field when it comes to medical technology. 

“Seventeen of the world's top 25 medical-technology companies have invested significantly in Ireland and there is a pattern of indigenous companies emerging and competing internationally. 

“The Government has identified the medical-technology sector as one of the key drivers of industrial growth for the future and provides a wide range of supports to encourage and foster this growth. 

“It is clear from the trends in the sector that Ireland is well placed as a global player in the medical-technology sector and will be a major contributor to global healthcare and the global economy in years to come."

Med-tech start-up culture

Entrepreneurship is also key to the future of the sector in Ireland and the local industry is characterised by management teams who would have began their careers in Digital Equipment Corporation.

Explaining the emphasis on entrepreneurship, Sharon Higgins, director of the IMDA, said: "Nurturing entrepreneurs and developing a strong culture of entrepreneurship is critical to the future success of med-tech in Ireland. To this end, the IMDA will enable medical devices entrepreneurs to access the expertise of experienced IMDA members.

“This will be done by developing a practical framework whereby medical-device entrepreneurs and prospective entrepreneurs can avail of mentoring supports from experienced IMDA members with established ethical guidelines to ensure trust and confidentiality on both sides," Higgins said.

Key facts about med tech in Ireland

• There are 250 med-tech companies in Ireland
• 50pc - The percentage of indigenous Irish med-tech firms
• No 1 - Ireland's global ranking for inward investment
• €7.2bn - The value of annual Irish med-tech exports
• 25,000 - The number of people employed in the industry
• 50pc - The percentage of ventilators worldwide in acute hospitals that are Irish made
• 30m - The number of people with diabetes that rely on an injectable device manufactured in Ireland
• 33pc - The percentage of the world's contact lenses manufactured in Ireland
• 5 - The number of clinical research facilities translating knowledge into patient care

NCI is offering up to 100 free college places under the scheme, which is aimed at unemployed graduates seeking to convert their skills and experience to a career in ICT. It will allow students to gain the skills and qualifications required to avail of the opportunities available in Ireland’s fast-growing and vibrant IT sector.

“What is particularly exciting about these programmes is the work placement with companies with acknowledged ICT skills needs,” said Deirdre Giblin, head of Professional Education and Training at National College of Ireland.

“This initiative is an excellent example of third-level education institutions working closely with industry facilitated by targeted Government funding. This is all about giving people the skills to get back to work in areas where there is a skills deficit and to that end these programmes also have a 'Careersbridge' element which prepares students for returning to the workplace."

Finding herself unemployed in 2010, Valerie Andrews availed of a similar scheme and enrolled on a web technologies programme at National College of Ireland. She supports Government-funded schemes and would encourage people in a similar situation to seriously consider a return to education.

“There is often a fear in going back to college but you meet great people and it is a very rewarding experience,” Andrews said.

“When you are considering going back to study, the cost of fees is a huge consideration and so Government schemes that can help with this are a huge opportunity. I would encourage anyone to look at the courses available. I see it as a huge benefit for your career and your confidence.”

NCI is holding an information evening on the available courses on Wednesday, 8 February, from 4-6pm at its IFSC campus in Dublin. Further information can also be found on the college website.

Siliconrepublic.com is hosting Skills February, a month dedicated to news, reports, interviews and videos covering a range of topics on the digital skills debate.

“The technology sector in Ireland is thriving. Since the beginning of the year, over 300 jobs have been announced,” said Regina Moran, ICT Ireland chair and CEO of Fujitsu Ireland in the release of the ICT Action Plan report earlier this week.

“This is on foot of 4,000 jobs announced in the sector in 2011,” she said.

However, a major challenge for the industry is finding the talent to support these jobs. According to the ICT Action Plan report, 55pc of high-level ICT skills are being met through inward migration.

It identified that more needed to be done boost ICT skills in the domestic market. By implementing a number of education initiatives, it plans to double its annual output from honours degree ICT undergraduate programmes to 2,000 graduates by 2018, up from 1,000 graduates in 2011.

Identifying skills gaps in IT industry

Where exactly are the gaps within the IT industry? Both Smeaton and Gurrin believe there is great demand for people right across the sector.

“It’s quite widespread and there’s a spectrum of IT jobs which vary from hardcore technical skills - such as hardware engineering, programming and development - right up to the softer skills, such as search engine optimisation and digital marketing,” says Smeaton.

“And interaction with other people in the organisation, such as personal communications skills, as well. It goes from technical to personal, as well,” adds Gurrin.

Smeaton believes there isn’t a single reason for this skills gap. He points out that one reason was due to the dot-com bust at the beginning of the millennium. Indeed, the ICT Action Plan notes there was a significant decline in graduate numbers in computing and engineering from a peak in 2002.

Educating students in IT

Smeaton and Gurrin also point out how students who commence a computer science degree in university often don’t know what they’re letting themselves in for.

“The reason that there aren’t enough graduates being produced is that when people come to university to learn programming, they haven’t any experience or exposure to what that’s about,” says Smeaton.

“They’re not really sure what they’re coming to university to learn. They’re doing computer science without knowing what it is, which is an issue that stems from the high school system here,” says Gurrin.

“Children in schools normally don’t get exposed to what computer programming is about,” adds Smeaton.

“They get things like ECDL and some schools will do computer programming, but mostly when they arrive in the university sector, they don’t know what computer programming is. Some people take to it but some people don’t and they realise that they’ve made a mistake,” he says.

DCU has aimed to address this by inviting between 400 and 600 transition-year students to the university for a week during January to learn computer programming and web development. It hopes to show students what university life is like and what it’s like to work with computer programming so they don’t decide to start a computer science degree without knowing what’s involved.

Problem solving

Of course, due to the changeable nature of technology, teaching digital skills in primary and secondary level may be a challenge, so Smeaton believes that teaching problem=solving skills may be more important.

“One of the ways that I think children can discover (if they want to work in IT) is knowing if they’re good at problem solving,” says Smeaton.

“It’s problem-solving skills and abilities rather than digital skills, because digital technologies will constantly evolve. Trying to build digital skill awareness into a secondary school curriculum is going to be very challenging because it’s very much a moving target.

“But underpinning that is problem solving and if you’re good at problem solving, then it most naturally follows that you’re good at mathematics and therefore likely to be good at programming and software development.

“So I think if they discover that about themselves at an earlier stage, they can make a more informed career choice and they’re less likely to contribute to drop-out rates,” he says.

Siliconrepublic.com is hosting Skills February, a month dedicated to news, reports, interviews and videos covering a range of topics on the digital skills debate.

In 2011, IDA client companies generated 13,000 jobs, with the ICT, life sciences and digital media sectors making up a major share of this figure.

Many of the world’s top multinational companies are located in Ireland, including Google, Microsoft, Facebook, EMC, HP and Dell, and indigenous Irish technology companies are attracting global attention.

One of the biggest challenges facing the IT sector is the demand for more people trained in digital skills. According to Enterprise Ireland, there are now 2,500 vacancies in the IT industry in Ireland, which seems incredible considering the high levels of unemployment.

If the Irish IT industry wants to meet its potential, it needs to train more people in the skills and qualifications needed to boost the sector. That’s why Siliconrepublic.com is running Skills February, a month dedicated to covering what needs to be done to bridge the digital skills gap.

We’ll be talking to industry and academic leaders on what skills are most in demand in the sector and what can be done to tackle the skills gap. We’ll also be running features analysing where the gaps are and why, and we'll be reporting the latest news pertaining to digital skills.

Siliconrepublic.com is hosting Skills February, a month dedicated to news, reports, interviews and videos covering a range of topics on the digital skills debate.

Apple's retail strategy has resulted in some of the world's most visually arresting retail experiences, with flagship stores in New York, Paris, Shanghai and London. A new Apple Store has just opened at Grand Central Station in New York. The stores are renowned for their cutting-edge design and presentation of products like the Mac, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad, as well as various peripherals and software. Each store has a Genius Bar, where users can receive advice on technical issues or get products repaired.

There are some 361 Apple Stores worldwide.

“Our retail stores are all about customer service, and John shares that commitment like no one else we've met," said Cook.

“We are thrilled to have him join our team and bring his incredible retail experience to Apple."

Prior to joining Dixons Retail, Browett held a series of executive positions at Tesco plc, including CEO of Tesco.com. Earlier in his career, he advised retail and consumer goods clients at Boston Consulting Group. He holds a degree in natural sciences from Cambridge University and an MBA from Wharton Business School.

Sky will begin recruiting immediately for positions involving advisers, training, coaching, HR and customer services. It will offer full induction training and ongoing support.

“I’m delighted that we are opening a centre in Ireland. Our Irish customers are very important to our business and the creation of this customer centre will ensure they receive first-class customer service,” said Jeremy Darroch, Sky’s chief executive.

“We hope to recruit a committed and enthusiastic workforce and look forward to making further contributions to the local community,” he said.

The new Dublin site is Sky’s 10th customer service centre, which adds to other Sky sites across Scotland and England. It’s part of its expansion to create a total of 1,300 jobs across the UK and Ireland over the next two years.

“This is great news, and represents a very welcome vote of confidence in our workforce and in the Irish economy by a leading company,” said Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton.

“Confidence is key, and in the coming weeks the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs will implement a series of measures to drive reform across the economy, ensure that more businesses can create more jobs, and get growth and confidence back into the economy again,” he said.

The broadcaster already hires 18,000 people in total and airs to more than 10.5m homes in the UK and Ireland.

"This is a very welcome announcement by a leading global brand name. The scale of BSkyB’s new customer contact centre clearly endorses the skills available in Ireland for multinational companies,” said IDA Ireland CEO Barry O’Leary.

The plan aims to bridge the skills gap by launching a one-year, full-time, level 8 HDip conversion programme in core computing and programme skills. Some 768 places will be offered across the country. The programme begins in March 2012.

Seventeen programmes will be on offer for job seekers with “cognate/numerical skills and underlying aptitude for programming.”

The Higher Education Authority and Department of Education and Skills are supporting all courses, and unemployed participants won’t have to pay fees.

The programmes have close industry involvement and include industry-relevant projects and placements, aiming to leave graduates ready to work in the industry upon graduation.

Opportunities

“The technology sector in Ireland is thriving. Since the beginning of the year, over 300 jobs have been announced,” said Regina Moran, ICT Ireland chair and CEO of Fujitsu Ireland.

“This is on foot of 4,000 jobs announced in the sector in 2011. With the top 10 global technology companies having a significant presence here and a substantial indigenous software sector, Ireland continues to be a powerhouse for technology,” she said.

Moran said ICT Ireland and ISA members have worked closely with Government departments to develop this plan. It focuses on a number of short to long-term policy measures and education initiatives.

The report estimates that 55pc of high-level ICT skills are being met through inward migration and more needs to be done to boost the domestic market.

It aims to double its annual output of honours degree ICT undergraduate programmes to 2,000 graduates by 2018. Upskilling and conversion actions will be taken in the short term.

It also wishes to increase female participation into ICT programmes from 15pc to 25pc.

“It is vital for those making an education or career choice, or wishing to upskill, to focus on where current and future job opportunities exist and the key skills that are in demand," said Barry O'Leary, chief executive of IDA Ireland.

"We currently estimate that approximately half of the vacancies in IDA companies in the coming years will require technology skills. These actions to increase the talent available to business will ensure a substantial boost to Ireland’s ability to maximise opportunities in not only the ICT sector but across a range of sectors, including international financial services, banking and business services," he said.

The event takes place on 11 and 12 February at Dublin’s Mansion House with about 60 Irish and international companies, educators, recruiters and enterprise organisations. It will have more than 2,500 job vacancies on offer.

Who’s hiring?

Amazon will be at the event, seeking software development engineers, field test engineers, network engineers, system engineers and security engineers. The company will also need data centre technicians, network managers, ops managers, developer support engineers and customer services associates.

Game developer BioWare, which recently opened a studio in Galway offering customer and operational support for its game Star Wars: The Old Republic, will be at Career Zoo showcasing opportunities in customer support at all levels, training, knowledge base, community management, in-game fraud, quality assurance, network operating, desktop support network engineering and database engineering.

Ericsson, which employs 1,400 people across a site in Athlone and a site in Dublin, is looking for people to fill roles in software development, R&D, network engineering, technical training and consultancy.

Fidelity Investments, which employs more than 250 people in Dublin and Galway, is looking for technology professionals for roles such as software developers, system analysts, QA/test engineers, project managers and information security specialists.

Online payments firm PayPal will be there looking to fill multilingual positions in customer service, risk operations, financial operating, sales and account management for its European base in Blanchardstown, Dublin.

Other employers at the event include Valeo Vision Systems, Salesforce.com, Pramerica, Accenture, AOL, EMC Ireland, HiberniaEvros and Shenick.

Upskilling and start-ups

Along with job opportunities, the event will also host DIT, UCD Smurfit School and TCD School of Business, which will be showcasing courses to help people upskill. Skillnets will also offer conversion courses to allow people to train for a different career in growth areas such as biomedicine and cloud computing.

There will also be a Career Clinic from Hays Recruitment, where people can obtain job-seeking advice and a “start-your-own-business” area with advice from representatives from the Dublin City Enterprise Board.

Silicon Republic is delighted to be a media partner of Career Zoo again this year.

‘‘There is a strong trend for FDI companies in Ireland winning new mandates which will require an increase in their employment levels in the future," said IDA Ireland CEO Barry O'Leary.

"Students planning now for their future careers need to take this growth into account and consider in which sectors the greatest FDI job opportunities will be in the coming years.’’

Ireland’s availability of skilled labour is one of the primary reasons IDA clients cite for establishing their operations in Ireland. The recently published IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2011 ranks Ireland first in the world for the availability of skilled labour and third in the world for availability of financial skills.

The Irish Management Institute/National Irish Bank Survey of Multinational Companies in Ireland 2011 also recently revealed that nearly half of all multinationals based in Ireland expect to grow employment in the next year.

The guide highlights the range of careers in the sector and includes profiles of individuals who have graduated from Irish universities in a range of disciplines who now work in the localisation industry. It also lists courses around computing, languages and business to provide a foundation for the area.

“At present, there are approximately 16,000 people working directly in the localisation sector in Ireland,” said Dr Páraic Sheridan, associate director at CNGL.

“Localisation is critical to so many industries, including software, games, financial services and medical devices, in bringing their products to foreign markets, so it really is vital to Ireland’s export-led recovery.

“It is also an area where Ireland is widely recognised as a world leader in innovation and sees continued growth in jobs, not just in traditional product and service localisation but also in the areas of global multilingual customer care and support,” he said.

Minister for Research and Innovation Sean Sherlock spoke at the launch of the guide, pointing out that localisation is a growth area in Ireland with opportunities for future graduates to build a career in this field.

“Many of the world’s largest software and web companies co-ordinate their localisation activities in Ireland and the sector contributes an estimated €680m annually to the Irish economy,” said Sherlock.

“It is imperative that we highlight the opportunities available to our young people in this sector. We need to encourage and foster their development to ensure that we are teaching the right skills at third level so employers who are already here, or who are considering a presence here, have a strong supply of high-calibre graduates to help them grow their businesses,” he said.

CNGL’s localisation careers guide is being distributed to all secondary schools in Ireland this week. It can also be downloaded from CNGL’s website.

Representatives will be available to talk between 6pm and 8pm each evening to tell students what it’s like to work in technology and to give advice on how to get into that area.

People can post questions in advance, join live sessions and view an archive of questions and answers from the event.

The online careers fair is part of the wider Smart Futures campaign co-ordinated by ICT Ireland, the Irish Software Association and STEPS with support from Discover Science and Engineering. It aims to show young people the opportunities a qualification in technology can offer.

Other upcoming events from the initiative include a transition-year work experience programme and a video series to promote the technology industry, which employs 84,000 people in Ireland.

“The technology industry is a booming area of growth in Ireland at the moment and it’s a crucial sector for the future economic growth in Ireland,” said Paul Sweetman, director of ICT Ireland and the Irish Software Association.

“Bright, innovative and skilled graduates being available is imperative if we want to keep our competitive advantage. The technology opportunities for young people in Ireland are rewarding and viable so I would urge anyone who has an interest in creating apps or games, software engineering, digital marketing, telecommunications or computer programming to log onto www.smartfutures.ie.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for second-level students from around the whole country to hear what it is like to work in these industries from the people who are already doing so,” he said.

Citing three people familiar with the plans who did not wish to be named, Facebook is considering the former Bank of Ireland headquarters building and two office blocks in the south Docklands area.

The report seems to have been spurred on by a report on Dublin city’s office market by Jones Lang LaSalle which said Facebook has “demand” for office space in the city.

Facebook’s Dublin offices are responsible for all of the social network’s operations outside the US.

The social networking giant, which counts over 800m users worldwide, is expected to IPO between March and May this year.

Dublin is rapidly garnering a reputation as the ‘internet capital of Europe’ due to the presence of significant operations of major online giants including Google, Amazon, Yahoo!, Facebook, Microsoft and most recently Twitter.

Google, for example, came to Ireland in 2004 with the intention of creating 300 jobs – today it employs more than 2,000.

Twitter, which announced plans to locate its international headquarters in the city in September, is also understood to be ramping up its data centre activity in Dublin by up to one third.