Economic Plan 2010 - 2014
The Programme for Growth
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Economic Plan 2010 - 2014 (word .doc, 12,422 kbs)
- Foreward - County Manager
- Executive Summary
- Introduction
- Context
- Themes
- Selecting Priorities
- Status of the Economic Plan
- Preparation of the Economic Plan
The core objective of this Economic Plan is to deliver sustained economic growth and ultimately create quality jobs in County Waterford. The County Waterford Model for Economic Growth brings together seven themes:
- Entrepreneurship & Innovation: To support and foster entrepreneurship and to improve the level of research, development and innovation undertaken by businesses in County Waterford.
- Convergence: Bringing together different areas of expertise to innovate and develop new and improved technologies, products and services.
- Knowledge Economy & Smart Economy: To ensure that County Waterford can compete in the Knowledge Economy, education, skills and training will be a key priority. Training and education will be flexible and meet the evolving needs of business specifically and society generally.
- Vibrant Towns, Villages & Communities: Building on the strengths of the County, priority will be given to developing the tourism product, festivals and events and consolidation of the retail, hospitality and tourism sectors in County Waterford and improving the viability of small businesses and local services which are the main employers in the local economy.
- Attract Profile Employers: Improve the competitiveness of County Waterford to attract internationally mobile investment.
- Green Economy: Waterford County will be at the forefront of the green economy by facilitating renewable energy infrastructure and promoting use of renewable energy among businesses and households and reducing energy consumption by driving efficiency for businesses throughout the County.
- Rural Development: Create jobs in rural areas to reduce commuting, provide alternative employment opportunities and sustain vibrant rural communities.
- Quality of Life: Residents of County Waterford enjoy an excellent quality of life.
These themes are inter-linked, and implementation of the actions under each theme will impact on the others. For example, tourism in rural areas can harness their natural resources, use eCommerce to attract visitors. Here, entrepreneurship and innovation links with the smart economy/the knowledge economy, the green economy, promotion of vibrant communities and rural development to create jobs in tourism sector.
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Selecting Priorities
The Economic Plan presents a range of actions. The actions were selected and prioritised using the following criteria:
- Potential Economic Impact;
- Building on Strengths of the County;
- Innovation;
- Deliverability and a ‘can do’ approach to Economic Development; and
- Ambition for County Waterford.
Waterford County Council is dedicated to the delivery of the Economic Plan. The Council will work in partnership with business, the relevant development agencies and other local authorities of the South East Region to deliver the actions set out in this Economic Plan. The work programme will be delivered by agencies working independently or through working groups. The Inter-Agency effort will be led by the County Council and co-ordinated through the Economic Committee of the County Development Board. The projects will be supported by the Economic Unit of Waterford County Council.
The actions of the Economic Plan are not ‘set in stone’. There will be further opportunity for innovation and new ideas. The plan will be reviewed and monitored to ensure that the projects will yield results for the economy of County Waterford.
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Preparation of the Economic Plan
This Economic Plan is informed by:
- A literature review of relevant national, regional and local economic strategies and policies;
- One-to-one interviews with representatives of key employers in the County representing the pharmaceutical/science, international business services and food sectors (Consultation Panel presented in Appendix A);
- Telephone interviews with a selected sample of businesses representing the food and tourism sectors (Appendix A);
- Facilitated sessions with representative organisations (Appendix A) ;
- Face-to-Face interviews the Development Agencies (Appendix A) :
- Public consultation advertised and promoted on local press. Submissions could be made directly, or through an on-line survey through Waterford County Council’s website. This link will be open to allow members of the public to constantly forward business ideas to the Council and the agencies;
- Direct request for submissions form the elected representatives of Waterford County Council;
- Consultation with the Economic and Community Strategic Policy Committee of Waterford County Council; and
- Consultation with the Economic Committee of Waterford County Development Board.
