Moyross Community Enterprise Centre in Limerick is to be one of the beneficiaries of the BT ‘Connected Communities’ initiative, which aims to help communities across Ireland get online.
The initiative will establish on-the-ground IT support and resources to create online public spaces in a bid to tackle online social exclusion.
Overall, it amounts to the equivalent of about €700,000 in financial support and support in kind to communities by BT over three years.
“With this initiative BT will be working with the community groups directly addressing specific community IT needs,” said Shay Walsh, managing director, Wholesale for BT Ireland.
“We are not only investing resources in technology and infrastructure in each of the communities involved, but also over the next three years, hundreds of BT employees will volunteer their time in making this happen.
“By creating these online public spaces we are working in partnership with the community groups involved to empower people to use IT to benefit their everyday lives.”
Paddy Flannery, centre manager at the Moyross Community Enterprise Centre, Limerick said the initiative was a “huge endorsement” of what the centre is trying to achieve, for example, supporting local start-ups through its microenterprise units.
BT has enlisted the help of its partners Microsoft and Three to bring additional resources to each of the groups participating in the scheme.
Photo: Paddy Flannery, centre manager at the Moyross Community Enterprise Centre, Minister for State Jan O’ Sullivan at the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade with responsibility for Trade & & Development and Shay Walsh, managing director Wholesale for BT Ireland
