Business
Over 70 companies for GMIT Careers Fair
Hundreds of students and graduates of GMIT are expected to attend the annual GMIT Careers and Recruitment Fair in the Galway campus on Monday, October 7.
Over seventy major employers from multinationals to accountancy bodies, third-level colleges and volunteering organisations are taking part in the GMIT event at the Dublin Road (Galway) campus from 12 noon to 3pm.
Students and graduates from GMIT and other colleges will have an opportunity to find out about employment prospects and trends in Ireland and abroad as well as placements and internships, postgraduate study and volunteering options. CV clinics are available on the day with professional advice available from agencies such as Collins McNicolas and Matrix Recruitment.
The GMIT Careers Fair will cover areas such as Business and Finance, Computing and IT, Engineering, Science, Humanities, Hospitality and Tourism.
A number of major graduate recruiters will take part in the fair for the first time, among them Price Waterhouse Coopers, Grant Thornton and Ernst & Young. Deloitte and all the major professional accountancy bodies will be represented on the day.
Employers and organisations taking part in the GMIT event also include Allergan Pharmaceutical, Boston Scientific, Dell, Ericcson, Goodman Medical Ireland, Intel, Medtronic Vascular, Micros Fidelio, SAP, CISCO, Avaya, IBM, Harmac Medical Products, Stryker, Sourcedogg, VMware, Hewlett Packard, Valeo Visions, Mylan and many more.
Bridie Killoran, who this year celebrates ten years as GMIT Careers Officer, says this year’s event has more companies and organisations taking part than in previous years.
“This reflects the fact that the practical skillset available to employers from GMIT graduates is highly sought after. They have a blend of academic knowledge and invaluable practical experience gained through work placement and real-life industry projects’’
Kate Graham, Human Resources, Boston Scientific, Galway, says: ”Boston Scientific has a longstanding relationship with GMIT. We have successfully recruited graduates and students on placement in the past and have been impressed by their calibre. We are looking forward to attending this year’s career fair on 7 October and meeting with students.”
For further information, see http://www.gmit.ie/Life-at-GMIT/career-development-centre/events/careers-fair-2013/
The new President of Local Ireland, the association representing local news publishers around the country, is Head of Irish Times Regionals Dan Linehan.
Mr Linehan takes over the presidency from Declan McGuire of the Connacht Tribune. His appointment was confirmed at the recent Annual General Meeting of Local Ireland at Bloomfield House Hotel near Mullingar, Westmeath.
Mr Linehan, who has served as Vice President of the organisation for the last two years, said: “The coming years are a very important time for local publishers with many important issues to be addressed, including the implementation of the Future of Media Commission recommendations, defamation reform, the role and support for local publishers in public service reporting and helping publishers develop commercial digital offerings.”
Speaking at the AGM, Mr McGuire acknowledged the work done by the Executive in the past two years under the direction of Executive Director, Bob Hughes, on several projects related to the publishing industry but most especially the successful conclusion of the long-running campaign for the abolition of VAT on newspapers.
He also wished Mr Linehan the very best in his new role as President of the association for the next two years.
Mr Hughes thanked Mr McGuire for his leadership and support during his term of office and said he looked forward to working with Mr Linehan on the key policy priorities for the association, including Government supports, Government advertising, fair remuneration for content from the tech platforms and the reform of the legislation for defamation.
Local Ireland members also elected Seán Mahon, Managing Director of the Southern Star, as Vice President for the next two years.
The shortage of affordable housing is the single biggest impediment in attracting and retaining workers in the West, according to business group Ibec.
At a ‘Regional Insights Series’ meeting in the Galmont Hotel in Galway last week, employers were told that capacity constraints and labour supply are the key challenges facing business growth in the region.
Ibec Head of Regional Policy Helen Leahy said: “There must be greater focus by government on enhancing quality of life issues such as housing and infrastructure which are driving labour shortages in the region.
“Ibec’s vision for the West is to realise its potential to become a globally competitive location. An inadequate supply of affordable housing is now the single largest impediment to attracting and retaining talented workers, without whom business investment and expansions are not possible.
“Labour shortages are a real concern for businesses in the region. People decide where to live and work based on quality of life and access to high quality services and amenities. Industry tends to follow talent, and in this regard, the region needs to have all the building blocks in place as the attraction and retention of world-class talent becomes increasingly competitive on a global level,” said Ms Leahy.
Amongst Ibec’s priorities for the West are:
- Addressing housing and infrastructure challenges
- Transitioning towards a new growth model with Net Zero energy powered by Atlantic offshore wind resources
- Adapting businesses to the new economic realities
- Enhancing capacity and skillsets to achieve sustainable development objectives
- Investment in people and skills
- Creating competitive advantage through digitalisation
- Innovation as a key driver of productivity growth
One in five Galway businesses want to go fully cashless, as the move towards card payments and tapping continues unabated post-Covid.
In all, 22% of Galway businesses would like to be fully cashless, according to a survey carried out by BOI Payment Acceptance (BOIPA), a provider of payment technology solutions, which asked Irish businesses about the current payment landscape as well as business confidence and concerns.
Over one-third (36%) of Galway businesses were unaware there is no contactless limit on mobile wallets – just below the national average – while 54% believe the increase in card over cash transactions has helped them run their business.
Six out of ten Galway businesses expect to grow this year despite the cost-of-living crisis and running costs dominating as key concerns; 62% believe their business will grow over the next twelve months despite global economic uncertainty.
Unsurprisingly cost-of-living increases and running costs were the main concerns the majority of businesses had.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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