Homegrown companies will create almost 500 jobs over next three years

ALMOST 500 jobs will be created in 17 homegrown companies over the next three years, thanks to a €29 million investment programme announced yesterday by Enterprise, Trade and Employment minister Micheál Martin.

The programme has received support from state business development agency Enterprise Ireland and will concentrate on improving innovation, marketing and business development skills among the selected companies. More than half of the total investment, or €17 million, will be spent on applied research and development.

Four Cork companies are among those that will benefit. Food company Kepak will add 35 staff at its facility for making ready-made meals in Watergrasshill. Clonakilty-based call centre operator Ecom Interaction Services will take on a further 25 employees.

Deep Insight, a customer relationship management company in Blackrock will boost its workforce by 24. A further 11 jobs will be created at 12Travel.com, an internet travel services company in Castletownshend.

Mr Martin said Kepak was an established company that would underpin its growth with an increased commitment to research and development and innovative approaches to product development, but all four shared an ambition to make the necessary investment to respond to market demands. He added that homegrown industry was important to regional development. "Irish-owned businesses are critically important in creating jobs and generating economic activity in regional cities, towns and villages across the country," said Mr Martin. "It is particularly important that these companies are creating challenging jobs at a regional level which are necessary to attract and retain a high-skilled workforce."

Mr Martin added that the 17 businesses behind the new jobs came from a diverse base and showed that Irish industry was not excessively dependent on one particular sector.

Enterprise Ireland chief executive Frank Ryan said the investment programme, which kicked off earlier this year, was significant and complemented the agency's efforts in promoting training and market development.