Harney announces 170 jobs for Clare

A total of 170 jobs are to be created in Co Clare by the British financial services company Contact Partners.

The group is setting up a new base in Shannon, in a move described today by Tánaiste Mary Harney as “a great boost for the local economy“.

Contact Partners are based in London with a current workforce of 450.

The Shannon development, resulting in the new graduate-level posts, will mark their first investment outside the United Kingdom.

The firm processes a number of customer services outsourced by larger companies, mainly finance houses and banks.

Chief executive David Hancock said the “state-of-the-art facility” would enable Contact Partners to deliver services of the highest quality to important customers.

:: Also today, Ms Harney formally opened an Information Age Park at nearby Ennis.

The 35-acre technology park, representing an investment of €110m over a 15-year period, will house start-up businesses concentrating on research and development and could generate as many as 250 jobs over the next three years.