08-03-2003

Job securing opportunity for Mountmellick

WITH a feeling of "Is fearr déanach ná go brách" The Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Eamon O'Cuiv TD arrived in Laois, last Friday, to open an information and resource centre in the MDA, Mountmellick.

Late for his appointment - but in his own words, "better late than never" - he was there to officially launch a new facility that's set to transform the training and employment opportunities for people in the area.

Prior engagements and traffic backlog stymied his ability to arrive on time, like the red taped regulations, he mentioned, that weaken the quality and effectiveness of services delivered to people.

He apologised and talked about the necessity of creating simplified systems and procedures that focus all their effort in putting services on the ground.
While regretting the build up of bureaucracy and the "forest of form filling" where you had ten state forms to fill out for one project.

He hoped his department was an efficent way of dealing with tax payers money and advised Mountmellick MDA on the most rewarding path to travel in the future.

He said: "The best way of getting more money is spending what you have more effectively, that's the way you ensure further funds in the future."

The function of the MDA is to create local job opportunities and as MDA Manager, Mary Dolan, said: "It is crucial that the ability to sustain the momentum of job creation is mantained in rural areas such as Mountmellick."

It is imperative that they attract tennants to the Business Park but they will have to do so without the advantage of broadband internet technology.

Ms. Dolan called on the Minister to consult with his colleagues in the Department of Communications, to insure that rural areas making an effort to address issues of unemployment are not penalised.

The MDA has been up and running for the past 21 years and has supported the creation of 35,000 sq ft of space for enterprise and office use and the employment of 170 people in the business park to date.

They intend to spend in excess of €3 million to build more enterprise and childcare space and to create a total of 250 jobs.

Their anchor tennant, Gandon Logistics, was recently recognised as one of the best companies in the country to work for.

Commenting on their success MDA Chairman, John Joe Dunne, said: "This dispells the myth that a small town in rural Ireland cannot provide either the facilities, the management, the staff, the training facilities or the diversity to compete with and achieve recognition ahead of nationally prominent companies in the banking and business world."

He hoped the Minister would leave with "a greater understanding of the diversity and challenges of community development and that when reviewing the programmes, you will consider the value of volunteer investment in Mountmellick."

The Centre which will be open to the general public from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, will provide comprhensive information on a wide range of topics and will particularly cater for the needs of those looking for employment and training opportunities.

Information from a wide range of agencies, including Midland Health Board, Aegis, ENFO, VEC, DSFA and Laois LEADER will be available.

While Fas will run an outreach office on Monday mornings from 10am to 12.30pm and citizens information centre will run an outreach service on Wednesday mornings from 10am to 12.30pm.

Laois County Council are providing a computerised information point in the centre while community notice boards will deal with a whole range of issues.

A CV preparation service with internet access for job seekers is available and is backed up with notice boards advertising local jobs.

Information will be provided over the telephone for housebound and older people unable to come to the centre.

Chairman of the Enterprise and Employment Sub Committee John Hennessy said: "A centre that has a range of information can also be inspiring and we hope that people come in for a particular need will leave with the knowledge of other things that may be of interest to them.

For further details on the new Information and Resource Centre or on any aspect of the Work of the MDA, contact Ber Kearney, MDA, Irishtown, Mountmellick, Co. Laois at.

PREPARATIONS for the Auction and Family Fun Day extravaganza are well underway and all signs are firmly fixed on Sunday, March 16.

The event will be staged in Mountmellick during the afternoon and an action-packed event is guaranteed.

The festivities will include a kiddies disco, face painting, sports, jaunting, car rides, cake sale, jumble sale, displays and many other novelty events. Auction enthusiasts will enjoy the afternoon with a wide range of items to suit every budget. The event will benefit Mountmellick Community School, Mountmellick Community Sports Complex and St Vincent's Hospital. The day provides the opportunity to renew old acquaintances and make new friends. More details are available from Mountmellick Community School.

On the sports scene, this Friday will be the biggest day yet for the school's senior footballers as they take on neighbours Ballyfin in the Leinster Final at O' Moore Park in Portlaoise. This will be the school's first appearance in the Leinster Senior A Final, but in 1999 both Senior and Junior B Titles were won.

Having already won the Leinster and All-Ireland Vocational Championships, the girls have made steady progress and built up the necessary skill and confidence levels to approach this challenge in a positive frame of mind. Many of the girls who won Leinster medals in 1999 are still on the team, including Aoife Lawlor, Nichole Dunphy, Caroline Bermingham, Grace Weston, Aileen O' Loughlin, Emma McEvoy, Deirdre Halley, Aoife Cleary, Claire Conlon, Rachel Farrell, Olwyn Farrell and Lucy O' Loughlin. These players are joined by more recent additions such as Nicole Dowling, Cassie Dunne, Rachel Mullen, Sarah Williams, Patrice Deffew, Claire O' Loughlin, Therese Weston, Julianne Culleton, Emma Hayden, Laura Quigley and Collette Dooley. Hopes are high that the Community School will emerge victorious and go on to represent Leinster in the All-Ireland series.