Language skills are critical for businesses says Ibec


Ibec has today warned that more needs to be done to improve language and ICT skills for second level students. The group has broadly welcomed the trends emerging from this year’s Leaving Certificate results but warn there can be no room for complacency given the range of new opportunities opening up high growth business sectors. […]

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Education must promote a culture of entrepreneurship says ISME


The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) has called for broader enterprise education to be introduced and encouraged throughout the education system from primary to third level. The association claims International evidence suggests that a practical approach to business subjects and an exposure to entrepreneurship from an early stage will lead to an increase […]

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New roadshow for SME’s


The Minister of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor yesterday launched a series of roadshows which will be encouraging small and medium sized businesses to learn more about the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI). The goal of the SBCI is to ensure access to flexible and affordable funding for Irish SMEs. The events […]

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Crime against Irish business costing €1.83b annually


Thirty one per cent of businesses have been the victim of crime in the past twelve months and 45% of those have experienced more than two incidents. This is according to the latest National Crime Survey released today by the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) today. The report indicates that more than one […]

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Government inaction threatens recovery warns ISME


The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) has today called on the Government to prioritise business cost competitiveness in the wake of the Brexit vote. The Association warned that the pressure on export prices to the UK required a coordinated response from industry and government on all business costs including those influenced by the government […]

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Irish IT sector promoted to foreign direct investment companies


The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor today joined forces with leading Irish owned IT services and networking company, Arkphire, to highlight the importance of having a strong local IT sector to support the growing numbers of foreign direct investment companies, now locating in Ireland. The 2015 IDA Annual Report cited the […]

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Sugar tax will damage the Irish economy, group claims


A sugar tax of 10 cent on cans of soft drink will increase the average household’s annual grocery bill by €60, but won’t help tackle Ireland’s obesity problem, said the Irish Beverage Council (IBC). The group, which represents companies that sell sugary drinks in Ireland, has produced a report arguing sugar taxes do not achieve […]

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Irish businesses losing over 200m to banks on their foreign exchange payments


Currency exchange experts, TransferMate have today claimed that the prices banks are charging Irish SMEs on currency exchange are “over the top” and that is having the knock-on effect of hundreds of millions being taken out of the Irish economy each year. Experts at the Irish FinTech say over €75 billion in foreign currency is […]

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