More than 240 jobs created by ex-Dell employees

THE County and City Enterprise Boards of the mid-west have announced over 240 jobs have been created by former employees of Dell and related companies who have started their own businesses.

The new businesses were supported by the Enterprise Boards through funding from the European Globalisation Fund (EGF), the first time that EGF funding has been made available in this country.
The Enterprise Boards in the mid-west dealt with 410 applications for EGF grants to assist with enterprise creation. Two hundred and thirty-nine projects were approved and 195 of those started businesses with the creation of 245 jobs. A further breakdown of this figure reveals that Limerick City and County has supported the creation of 202 jobs; Clare, 21 jobs; Tipperary South, 12 jobs and Tipperary North, eight jobs.
This was the largest EGF application to be supported to date with a total fund of €22.8 million, €14.8m from the EU with co-financing of €8m from the Irish State. The fund was for retraining, upskilling and providing educational and enterprise creation supports for almost 2,500 people in the mid-west who had lost their jobs.
The original amount of money made available by the EGF for the enterprise creation element of the programme was €1.4m but due to overwhelming demand, this was adjusted upwards to €3.42m. Almost 83% was paid directly to individuals by way of grant aid, an average of €14,500 per project. Another €585,000 was allocated for the benefit of the businesses on training and mentoring. The enterprise boards did not charge for administering the EGF.
Speaking about the success of the enterprise creation element of the EGF, Eamonn Kelly, CEO of Clare County Enterprise Board said, “We were delighted to be able to play our part in helping these businesses to get off the ground. The level of interest was phenomenal and the businesses, which range from software development to entertainment services, show a huge determination to succeed. The whole process was very encouraging and we are hopeful that it will lead to the possibility of further indigenous jobs down the road.”
The County Enterprise Boards in Ireland were established by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation with responsibility for promoting enterprise through training, mentoring and financial assistance. The boards provide direct grant support to new and existing enterprises and are uniquely positioned to understand local needs and know the background and track record of those applying for support and assistance.

Darragh makes a go of new business
DARRAGH Quinn was one of thousands who lost his job in 2009.
He had been HR Manager with Flextronics in Limerick, which had been a major supplier of Dell. After being made redundant in the summer of 2009, he was one of those who accessed the European Globalisation Fund to start his own business.
He acknowledged that things had been difficult when he lost his job. “Oh, it would have been, yeah, it’s a big change and you don’t really know what’s around the corner. But once you accept it and start working towards resolving it, in terms of doing things about it, seeing what opportunities are there and what supports are being given; it improves.”
Darragh is based in Ennis and started the company after working through a separate short-term contract. “I started the HR consultancy company about six months ago. I had got a contract in ThermoKing in Galway for nine months and I started the company after that.”
He used the money he got through the EGF and some of his redundancy money. The EGF support was very important, he says. “It made things easier, definitely. The cost of materials is still the same, so it would be impossible otherwise to set up on your own.”
So far, he is happy enough with how things have been going. “It’s going ok. I’ve another business that opened six months ago, an interactive farm, where you bring groups on to the farm to do activities, so I’m juggling both. There’s definitely a need there for a HR consultancy, particularly for the small to medium-sized business. It’s hard out there but there are bits and pieces of business.”
He says that people who find themselves out of work shouldn’t lose heart. “There is good external support out there. Enterprise boards can be very helpful, they give excellent advice and training. It’s important for anyone in the situation not to despair. There is great support. Don’t underestimate how difficult it’ll be, but there are options,” he said.