Jobs, jobs, jobs with Enda in election mode

With just a week to the local and European elections, it was jobs, jobs, jobs when the Taoiseach visited Cork.

The new buzz word in government and local authority circles is LEOs or local enterprise offices — one-stop-shops with advice and training for budding entrepreneurs and more established business owners.

Enda Kenny was at Cork City Hall to launch Cork’s LEO, which he championed as further practical evidence of the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs.

Then it was across the river to Penrose Wharf where along with Cork North Central TD Dara Murphy, he announced 56 new jobs as part of an investment that will double the workforce at Oxford International, the Cork-based IT and engineering recruitment firm. Up to €16 million is to be invested at their European headquarters.

The new jobs, which will double their number of employees, will be created over the next 18 months.

At the announcement, Oxford president, Michael J. McGowan, said the quality of employees in Cork was at the centre of the decision to re-invest in the operation.

This is their third re-investment since they set up in the city in 1994.

“At the beginning, we thought it was a good idea to parachute in US managers to run the Cork operation. However, the initial years were not successful and then John Murray [vice president of European operations] suggested we should try local talent.

“We did and since 2009, our revenue has grown by 400%. The best of our managers are here,” he said.

Welcoming the new jobs, Deputy Murphy re-iterated that Cork must be the “second engine” of the country after Dublin due to its population, university and rejuvenated city centre.

“We have secured the re-development of Páirc Uí Caoimh and the plans for the convention centre, but there is still more we can do in the north docklands,” he said.

But before heading off to a fundraising lunch for Fine Gael’s Ireland South candidate, Deirdre Clune, the Taoiseach couldn’t resist getting a dig in about the time it is taking thecity council to decide where to site the city’s planned convention centre.

The long-awaited events centre is promised €16m of local authority and government funding.

We imagine that Enda is anxious to ensure that, whether it ends up at Albert Quay or at the former Beamish site, it is lighting up the city in time for the next general election.