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Helen Downes, CEO, Shannon Chamber (centre) pictured at the seminar in Shannon with (from left): Maureen Williams, Department of Social Protection (DSP); Victoria Haigney, Lufthansa Technik Turbine Shannon; Cathy Moran, DSP/Eures; Padraig McMahon, LAIT; Austin Hallinan, Entry Point North Ireland; Brendan Boyce and Fiona Cahill, LAIT; and Kevin Frost, Pemcas.  Photograph by Eamon Ward

Companies seeking to acquire new talent should consider the skills available in our immigrant and live register populations and utilise the recruitment supports available through Intreo, the public employment service operated by the Department of Social Protection, which offers employment services and supports to employers and jobseekers.

That was the message imparted to attendees at a recent Shannon Chamber seminar held in Ei Electronics’ Centre of Excellence at which a team from Clare County Council’s integration team (LAIT) and from Intreo outlined the many benefits of linking with them to fill job vacancies in the region.

Integration support workers Fiona Cahill and Padraig Mc Mahon and integration support co-ordinator Brendan Boyce said that, with five thousand Ukrainians now living in Co. Clare and a further one thousand in IPAS accommodation, many work ready and actively seeking to contribute to their local economies, this is an untapped talent pool that warrants being availed of.

As stated at the seminar, many new arrivals look to volunteering as their first entrée into work post arriving in Ireland while awaiting their work permits and, as many come here from highly skilled positions in their home countries, a lack of working English acts as a barrier to them moving into their specialist careers here in Ireland.

The role of Clare County Council’s integration office is to help IPAS residents find and use local services, such as healthcare, education, employment and community activities, hence the link-up with Shannon Chamber to make employers aware of the opportunities accruing to looking to this untapped resource in their recruitment drives.

Many companies attending the seminar were unaware of the supports available to them via Intreo in areas such as recruitment, financial subsidies, disability supports and work placement.

The Department of Social Protection’s (DSP) Maureen Williams, said that these supports can range from placing job advertisements, free of charge, on the www.jobsireland.ie website, and that these can be simultaneously advertised on the EU portal www.eures.europa.eu. Companies can participate in job matching and recruitment events organised locally and online by the Department, and in face-to-face interviews between employers and jobseekers. They can provide a six-month work placement programme enabling participants to be mentored by the company and to engage in formal accredited training while on placement.

Supports for employing people with disabilities, available through Work and Access and Employability Services can range from workplace needs assessment, workplace adaptations and disability equality and inclusion training.

Financial subsidies offered to employers include Jobsplus, which is available to employers who offer employment opportunities to unemployed individuals and, the wage subsidy scheme, which provides financial incentives to private sector employers to employ people with a disability.

Companies seeking to recruit from within the EU can also work with Eures, a cooperation network designed to facilitate the free movement of workers within the EU-27 Member States plus Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. As Cathy Moran, employer relations and Eures advisor with DSP said: “Our services are available to every EU citizen. It’s an invaluable resource for linking with job seekers in other EU countries, where a vacancy cannot be filled locally.”

Commenting on the takeaways from the event, Shannon Chamber CEO Helen Downes said: “As a member of the Clare Community Integration Forum, it gave us the opportunity to make our members aware of a talent resource they might not otherwise factor into their recruitment drives. It was also our way of helping new arrivals to Clare to source employment.”

One member, Austin Hallinan, managing director of Entry Point North Ireland, said that the event gave him a greater awareness of the services and benefits offered by Clare County Council’s integration forum and Intreo and that he will be exploring the benefits that might accrue from furthering the collaboration.

As a follow-on to this seminar, Shannon Chamber, in collaboration with the Department of Social Protection and the Local Authority Implementation Team (LAIT), will host a Jobs Fair in Shannon on Wednesday, 26 March 2025 from 10am until 1pm as part of the Department’s annual Work and Skills Campaign. While the venue has yet to be announced, employers with open vacancies in their companies are invited to send a list of such positions to Shannon Chamber and have a representative(s) at the Jobs Fair to engage with prospective candidates. Details of the Shannon Jobs Fair will be advertised on Shannon Chamber’s website www.shannonchamber.ie/events-training when finalised.