News

Councillor Alan O’Callaghan, Cathaoirleach, Clare County Council, pictured at the Jobs Fair in Westpark Innovation Campus Shannon with (from left): Tadgh O’Leary, principal officer at the Department of Social Protection; Helen Downes, CEO, Shannon Chamber; Colin MacDonald, CEO, Fine Grain Property, event hosts; and Jason Murphy, director of social development, Clare County Council. Photograph by Eamon Ward

When Shannon Chamber joined forces with the Department of Social Protection and the Local Authority Integration Team (LAIT) to host a Jobs Fair in Shannon as part of the Department’s annual Work and Skills Campaign, little did they expect that over 600 people would pass through the entrance stiles within seconds of the event opening.

This, according to Shannon Chamber CEO Helen Downes, clearly indicates that there are people in Shannon and the wider Mid-West region skilled and ready for employment but who need guidance on how to access the jobs opportunities available to them.

The Jobs Fair, held in Westpark Innovation Campus, supported by Fine Grain Property, saw over 40 companies man information stands to meet the job seekers, outline jobs offers and present information on job vacancies and the levels of skills require to fill them.

Those attending the jobs fair were left in little doubt as to where job opportunities lie, which resulted in throngs of eager people of all ages depositing their CVs with many of the exhibiting companies hopeful of a positive outcome to their visit to Westpark

Companies exhibiting at the jobs fair included: Atlantic Aviation Group, Supermac’s, Ei Electronics, Employability, Bus Eireann, Pepper Advantage, AXA, Shannon Precision Engineering, CREGG, AIB, Care About You, AiP Packaging, The Clare Connection, which includes Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, Craggaunowen, and Knappogue Castle, Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, Dromoland Castle Hotel, The Inn at Dromoland, Noel Group, Biotouch, Ward Personnel, An Garda Síochána, Tierneys, Element Six, Pemcas Engineering, EMG Consulting, Clare Local Development Company, eBay, Resilience Homecare. Aerogen, Defence Forces, Clare Fire and Rescue, ESB, Clean Habit Clare Care and Clare County Council.

The types of jobs on offer on the day included facilities engineers, product supervisors, CNC operators, quality technicians, electrical and civil engineers, architectural technologists, production operators, chemical engineers, accommodation assistants, food and beverage assistants, homecare specialists, construction personnel, finance analysts, customer service roles, bus drivers and mechanics, digital marketing, apprenticeship opportunities, and many more, in a mix of full and part-time positions.

Commenting on the jobs fair, Ms Downes said: “When we planned this event, we knew it would provide a platform for local employers to connect with job seekers as it would give them the opportunity to showcase the employment opportunities available within their companies. We felt that hosting an event like this would offer people an indispensable opportunity to explore career possibilities and enable businesses to engage with talented individuals in the region actively seeking employment.

“We were impressed by the level of interest, which indicates that we have a ready pool of talented people who simply need to make the right connections to progress their careers. We hope this jobs fair has opened doors for them and we look forward to hearing of many successful jobs’ offers being made to attendees. That would be a great outcome of this, our inaugural link-up with the Department of Social Protection team in an event of this nature. Their energetic enthusiasm made this event possible, and successful.”

Principal officer at the Department of Social Protection, Tadgh O’Leary, who attended the jobs fair on behalf of Government, complimented exhibiting companies on the wide range of jobs on offer.

“The collaboration with Shannon Chamber of Commerce made linkages with a wider range of industry possible. We will certainly be open to organising similar events in the future as the linkage with a business representative organisation fosters greater interaction with industry from a diverse range of sectors.”

Assistance principal at the Department of Social Protection who also travelled to Shannon for the event said that local collaboration provides opportunities for employers and job seekers alike.

“The fruits of this were so evident in Westpark; the level of interaction between both parties was palpable. We are always open to tailoring events for companies with specific recruitment requests.”

The feedback from companies partaking in the jobs fair was very positive. All complimented the high skills level of the job seekers, and many looked forward to taking their initial discussions further and to filling many of the vacant positions.