IMPLEMENTING CHANGE:

A NEW LOCAL AGENDA FOR

JOBS AND GROWTH In co-operation with the EU Presidency, Irish Government and Pobal

26-27 March 2013, Dublin-Kilkenny, Ireland

9th Annual Meeting

WORKSHOP A: LOCAL JOB CREATION - HOW EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING

AGENCIES CAN HELP

Declan Rice CEO, Kilkenny Leader Partnerships, Ireland

Connected Strategies for Sustainable Communities

“Enterprise & Employment” A Local Approach to Global

Issues

KLP- who are we? • Kilkenny LEADER Partnership (KLP) is a non-profit

‘local action group’.

• It has a Mission Statement stating its purpose:

Kilkenny LEADER Partnership will lead and facilitate the creation of an integrated local development strategy to improve the economic, social and cultural quality of life of the people, communities and small enterprises of all County Kilkenny.

• KLP is governed by a 24-person board of directors with community sector majority.

• Employing approximately 50 staff operating a range of development programmes and initiatives.

KLP- what do we do? • KLP operates a number of EU and state economic

and social development programmes in County Kilkenny. These include:

– LEADER- Axes 3 & 4 of the rural development programme of the Common Agricultural Policy.

– Local Community Development Programme (LCDP)

– TÚS- community employment placement initiative.

– Rural Recreational Officer programme and related Walk Scheme

– Inter-Reg IV-A; ‘Outdoor Tourism’ project on River Barrow

– Rural Social Scheme- low income farmer community employment initiative.

“Connected Strategies for Sustainable Communities”

• The various programmes have their own goals, aims and objectives. These are achieved while KLP operates an integrated approach to the delivery of all programmes.

• KLP operates the programmes in the furtherance of a local development plan.

• The various programmes are a tool box for integrated economic and social development.

• This should provide a more comprehensive and focused dividend for the local community.

• That’s the source of our brand strapline- ‘Connected Strategies for Sustainable Communities’

KLP’s Targets & Priorities • In its LEADER plan for rural Kilkenny KLP has focused as priority

areas for economic and employment growth on: – Artisan and small food enterprises,

– rural tourism enterprises,

– renewable energy enterprises

– farm diversification enterprises

• In the LCDP, the KLP mentored ‘Employability Strategy’ for Kilkenny has similarly focused on the following sectors: – Food

– Light engineering

– Administration businesses

– Renewable energies & ‘Green Businesses’

– Tourism & Hospitality enterprises

• The local initiatives here reflect these priorities & targets.

Crucial Role of Pillar Programmes

LEADER LCDP

The 2 Pillar Programmes: LEADER

and LCDP support and fund the

KLP Local Initiatives. They and

supporting programmes such as

Inter-Reg, TUS and RSS are crucial

to the KLP development strategy.

TÚS RSS

Public, Private & Community Partnership

• LEADER is a part-funded programme- 50% to 90% rate range: requiring significant non-public micro-enterprise, local authority or community contributions.

• The LCDP leverages significant public funding and is recognised as a value-added medium.

• KLP has partnerships with large businesses on projects: – Kick Start- a job placement and training initiative tailored to local job

opportunities. Part-funded by State Street

– Vulcan- a 5-county regional project developing wood-fuel supply chains among small forestry owners. Part-funded by Danone Ecosysteme

Barrow Valley Development Initiative

• A integrated series of capital, marketing and training/ employment initiatives to develop the River Barrow as a tourism centre.

• The second longest river in Ireland- and the most attractive!

• Navigable from Dublin to Waterford.

• Potential to be a major tourism centre for the east of Ireland- with Kilkenny at its centre.

• Partnership required with multiple stakeholders: community groups, business, other local action groups, local authorities, state agencies, transnational partners.

Unlocking the Barrow • A development proposal for a €9.5 million

investment to improve the river’s boating navigation.

• Engineering works- short canals, etc. at key constriction points; St Mullins, Carlow Bridge.

• Pay back within 10 years.

• Presented to government for their consideration.

Barrow Funding ‘Toolbox’ • Research on improving the boating navigation-

LEADER & community

• Development of Outdoor activity Hub in Graiguenamanagh- LEADER & local authority

• Capital support towards long-distance cycle trail and canoe trails- LEADER & community.

• Support for employment and enterprise (capital, marketing, training, etc.)- LEADER, LCDP & Inter-Reg,

• Capital support for marina in – LEADER & community

Kick Start Programme? • A Kilkenny job placement & training programme for local

unemployed people.

• Kick Start is a result of the ‘Employability Strategy’ devised by KLP & adopted by Kilkenny County Development Board. It defined: – Employment supports should focus on areas of local job growth: tourism,

light engineering, food, financial services and renewable energies.

– Provide direct linkage between local job seekers and employers

• Kick start is 12-weeks duration per individual, which inlcudes a 4-week lead-in train module.

• Participants gets a training grant to develop their skill set and qualifications in an area of local employment growth.

• Key defining character is the tailoring of training needs to the skills set of the participant and the needs of the employer.

• KLP provides coordination and support services to both.

Kick Start Toolbox • Kick start does not pay participants

• The LCDP supported the operation of the programme

• The Department of Social Protection (DSP) supported the training allowances.

• State Street- a major financial services company with a base in Kilkenny has been a co-funder with LCDP of operations element.

• Employers make a contribution to the training element of the participants.

• LEADER funded the employers’ forum costs.

Kick Start results & potential • The two Kick Start Programmes in 2012 produced 17 placements

and from those there were : – 4 Individuals who went into Full Time Work,

– 1 person into Self Employment,

– 1 Person into Part Time Work

– 2 Individuals into Internships

• KLP is very happy with the headline results- and with the effect on those who did not get a direct ‘result’ but benefitted form it.

• Following review with both participants & employers, the third round of Kick Start starting Spring 2013 with 20 participants.

• KLP & State Street believes that the model can be transposed to other urban and rural areas of the state.

• DSP are interested in the lessons of Kick start for their national programmes.

Trail Kilkenny • Trail Kilkenny is a non-profit company established to guide the

development, maintenance and marketing of leisure trails in the county.

• Founded by KLP & Kilkenny County Council.

• Board also comprises Kilkenny Sports & Recreation Partnership, landowner and community interests.

• KLP identified trail development as an relatively low-cost way to develop and link rural tourism providers and hubs.

• The Board member organisation provide the development, maintenance and marketing costs between them

• From a very low base, the Company has driven the development of a complete suite of trails for use by tourists and residents.

Linkage of Physical and ‘Concept’ Trails • Kilkenny does not have the dramatic ‘wild’ scenery

of other established trail areas in Ireland.

• Trail Kilkenny’s solution is to develop physical trails such as walking, cycling, canoe for the ‘soft adventure’ tourist and link them to trail experiences that this type of visitor may also enjoy: – Craft Trail

– Food Trail

– ‘Ghost’ Trail- coming soon!

• The latter concept trails are developed with businesses in those sectors.

• The benefits to the concept trail business should lead to the support of the physical maintenance

Trail Kilkenny video Video Clip

Food Strategy- Motivation

Food matters! How a county or region values the

role of food businesses in its society is important.

Not just as a public health issue or even as a matter

of supporting primary producers - but for the multiple

of social, cultural and economic benefits that grow

from the development of an integrated strategy.

Kilkenny Food Strategy- History

• Growing Local Food Economy was published in October 2010 following almost one year of wide ranging consultation with all the agency, industry and community stakeholders.

• Growing Local Food Economy is a comprehensive and integrated strategy- including enterprise, community and training, designed to make Kilkenny a leader in ‘food culture’.

• Key to the Strategy’s recommendations was the appointment of a ‘Food Development Team’ to drive the integrated Strategy.

• Shortly before the conclusion of the appointment process in early March 2011- the LEADER food ban came in into force.

• As a result- no structured action on the Strategy until the blockage was clarified and resolved

Food Strategy- Progress

• Can we now start to plan again?

• Probably- YES, but we need a revised simplified strategy to ensure RDP eligibility and time to deliver it.

• A Strategy with 3 elements: – A regional Food Trade Desk

– A Town of Food in rural Kilkenny

– A decentralised regional School of Artisan Food

• Driven by a Food Strategy Coordinator

• Appointment of consultants to develop the Trade Desk concept in late-March 2013

• Commitment on initiating funding on all elements by end 1st Quarter 2013

Town of Food

• The ‘Town of Food’ competition is key part of KLP’s comprehensive food development strategy ‘Growing a Local Food Economy’.

• Food culture being the inter-connectedness between enterprise and community that leads to a mutually-reinforcing and sustainable food economy.

• KLP has invited the larger towns and villages of the county to apply to become the centre of “food culture” in the county.

• Closing date for applications- 25th March!

• 5 entries to be judged in early April

Vulcan- Wood Energy Project

• Vulcan is regional project focused on the creation of five independent and sustainable wood-fuel supply businesses owned by the existing forestry owners of the South East region.

• Each company will be provided with staffing, operational, marketing training and capital supports to set up the business

• The 3-year project (started 2012) has a ‘sun-set funding’ profile to encourage sustainability from the outset.

• Vulcan is specifically targeting smaller farmer/ forestry owners. • The project is supported by Danone Ireland, Danone’s Ecosystem

Trust and five LEADER companies of the region. • In each county, it will require the agreement of the local LEADER

company to co-fund the project for it to access Vulcan funds.

Vulcan Progress

• Vulcan has a total budget of almost €1.5 million from Danone and LEADER company sources.

• Danone Ireland in Wexford have installed a wood-chip boiler and have agreed to offer a contract for 8,000 oven-dried-tonnes of wood fuel between the 5 forestry-owner businesses.

• New companies have been established in Kilkenny and Wexford already with Managers and office bases.

• In January 2013 Laois stakeholders have agreed to join Vulcan.

• Negotiations have occurred with stakeholders in 3 other counties and Vulcan is confident of getting the 2 additional companies needed to complete the target of 5.

Vulcan’s ‘Priority Example’

• The ‘local initiatives’ are usually compliant with multiple KLP targets.

• The project fits under KLP’s LEADER renewable energy priority sector.

• As most of the forestry owners are active farmers- Vulcan also addresses KLP’s LEADER focus on farm diversification.

• The Vulcan target of 30% of its beneficiaries being lower-income famers also meets KLP’s LCDP targets.

Themes and Principles • All the local initiatives have a number of obvious themes and

principles that link them:

– SWOT focus- based on the specific strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the Kilkenny region

– Community-based- building on the capacity of the business and other communities of Kilkenny

– Connections & Linkages- with other programmes, etc.

– Sustainability- financially & structurally

– Strategic Reach & Effect- not just localised benefits

– Integration- of various funding streams and with other KLP projects

– Connected Strategies for Sustainable Communities

Thank You

Any questions?