€1,000,000 to deliver Business Training to the Central Border Area

Pictured are students of the Wind Turbine Technology Course delivered by South West College on behalf of the  EU INTERREG lVA funded programme ‘Higher Attainment through  Cross- Border Hubs” (HATCH).   This initiative brings together groups  from the Construction, Engineering and Related Sectors,  Foreign Nationals and Female Entrepreneurs  to participate in Third Level, accredited training provision to enhance business performance and employability in the Central Border Region.

The much anticipated launch of HATCH took place recently at the Cavan Crystal Hotel, Cavan where political representatives from across the Central Border Region welcomed this much anticipated programme and affirmed that the areas of congruence with Government policy North and South   including :

1.      Up skilling /re-skilling  the existing workforce;

2.      Providing recognised accreditation and ladders of   progression supporting life long learning;

3.      Feeding the market requirement for the delivery of a mix of operational and strategic courses to support economic development;

4.      Developing  North South Relations;

5.      Supporting diversity/social inclusion and in doing so create an environment  suitable for cross fertilisation of ideas and innovation;

6.      Closing the gap for more skilled persons/professionals from the working age population at the higher end of  attainment i.e.  the need to support an emergent group who have a new training  requirement  - skilled people who need to diversify/ retrain and who would not have been catered for traditionally for example construction professionals;

7.      Facilitating career change and redirection;

8.      Availing of synergies to be gained from being effectively networked.

The very well attended event brought together representatives from politics, academia, support agencies and beneficiaries to facilitate information share and networking. The delegates were addresses by members of the University of Ulster, South West College and John Fitzgerald, Harmonics on a range of topics such as leadership, innovation and the value of approaching all employment with ‘a self-employed mind set’.

The project, which is led by Cavan County Enterprise Board, will engage the expertise of Cavan Innovation & Technology Centre as training programme delivery lead in collaboration with Business Institute of University of Ulster and South West College. Vincent Reynolds, CEO of Cavan County Enterprise Board, expressed his satisfaction with the quality and offering of the delivery partners:  “These three training organisations have an excellent strategic, operational and academic fit and  have a proven track record in delivering quality, targeted, accredited courses designed to meet the needs  of the target beneficiaries of this programme.  The plan will specifically address the training and networking needs of the Construction & Engineering Sector, Foreign Nationals and Female Entrepreneurs – three groups who make sizable contributions to the economy at a local and national level but are particularly vulnerable in times of economic flux” .

The range of third level courses  which are  free to participants accepted on the programme, will include tailored Sales Development, English  Language for Business,  Environmental Entrepreneurship and Business Excellence for the Construction Sector programmes.  The courses are open to participants currently in, or wishing to access these business sectors from North and South of the Border. These programmes will be delivered at times and at a pace which meets with the needs of the beneficiaries from a base at Cavan Innovation and Technology Centre (CITC), a state of the art, bespoke business training facility on the Dublin Road. For further information contact Dympna McCarron , Manager, CITC on 049 4377277 or info@cavanitc.ie