Labour Force and Skills

With a growing population and a high level of continued education, Waterford can offer an expanding and highly educated workforce with a range of skills that matches the expertise required by business.

The population and labour force of Waterford is rapidly growing. In 2009 the population of Waterford was 107,961, the majority (58%) of which live in the County and the remaining 42% living in Waterford City. Between 2002 and 2006 the population of Waterford County grew by 9.2%, a faster growth rate than that of the State (8.1%). This is not the entire picture. The population of the one -hour catchment area of County Waterford, which spans a number of key urban centres including Wexford Town to the east, Kilkenny City to the north and Cork City to the west, is c.500,000. Thus, there is a critical mass of labour supply for a range of industries within the catchment area of County Waterford.

 

Third Level Education
Waterford offers a highly skilled labour force. Between 1996 and 2002 the number of third and fourth level graduates living in County Waterford increased by 31.8% and 77.5% respectively.

Importantly, there is a student population of 43,000 available to industry and business in County Waterford from Waterford Institute of Technology, University College Cork and Cork Institute of Technology. We provide further information on each of these institutions in the paragraphs that follow.

Waterford Institute of Technology
Waterford Institute of Technology offers a range of courses in Engineering, Science, Business Studies and Humanities at Certificate, Diploma, Degree and Masters levels. Waterford Institute of Technology continues to ensure that the courses offered matches the requirements of business and have/or are in the process of introducing a suite of new courses in Engineering, IT, Business and Science at degree and masters levels. Between 1998 and 2004 the student population of Waterford Institute of Technology increased by 17%. To cater for the increasing demand for the courses at Waterford Institute of Technology, along with the expansion of the number of courses that the Institute offers, the Campus has and will continue to see significant investment at its campus in the short term. These will deliver profile state-of-the-art academic buildings such as:

• ICT Building: was completed in October 2004
• Nurse Education Building: commenced in September 2004
• Enterprise Research Centre: covering an area of 2,400sqm
• Tourism Building: A €2.5million investment in a modern tourism unit
• In September 2005, Waterford Institute of Technology opened a new complex to house Research and Innovation. A new campus will be developed at this site, which will ultimately house its corporate headquarters, a student village, and provide extensive sports and recreation facilities.

Reflecting Waterford Institute of Technology’s commitment to industry and entrepreneurship, the South East Enterprise Platform Programme was established. This programme seeks to support entrepreneurs in knowledge-based start-ups to develop their business concept. A mix of supports are available to participants including: training, mentoring, incubation space and funding. For further information on the South East Enterprise Platform Programme visit www.seepp.ie.

In 1996 the Telecommunications Software and Systems Group (TSSG) was established in Waterford Institute of Technology. The TSSG’s main area of research is communications software services encompassing emerging architectures for management of complex telecommunications and internet systems as well as next generation service development and deployment. The TSSG has two primary divisions, the Research Division and the Commercial Division. The TSSG is an exemplar of a new vision of research in Ireland and pursues a combination of academic and commercial excellence. Further information on TSSG can be found at www.tssg.org.

For information on all course and supports available at Waterford Institute of Technology visit www.wit.ie.

University College Cork
University College Cork was established in 1845. It provides a range of Degree, Masters and Doctorate level courses in Arts, Science, Engineering, Medicine, Commerce and Law. University College Cork recently witnessed a period of rapid expansion and this is reflected in an unprecedented level of investment in the facilities at its campus. University College Cork has attracted the highest level of funding for research and development of any third level institution in Ireland. With the Tyndall Foundation, a research unit that focuses on ICT and nano-technology for the academia and the private sector, University College Cork has built a reputation of being at the forefront of software and ICT research. In addition, University College Cork is at the leading edge of supporting the bioscience sector. The Bio Science Institute was recently established at University College Cork. The objective of the Bio Science Research Institute is to conduct world class research and to facilitate transfer of knowledge between academia and industry. With the support of Science Foundation Ireland, University College Cork announced a €14million neurology research project with GlaxoSmithKlien, a company with a base in Dungarvan, County Waterford. Looking to advances in the medical sector, University College, Cork has established the Alimentary Pharmabotic Centre, which seeks to explore commercial opportunities in both the pharma and functional food sector and to position Ireland. Further information on the courses and supports available from University College Cork can be found on their website at www.ucc.ie.

Cork Institute of Technology
Cork Institute of Technology offers a range of Certificate, Diploma, Degree and Post-Graduate Degree courses in Arts, Humanities, Engineering, Science and Computers, Music and Nautical Studies. For further information on the courses and supports available at Cork Institute of Technology visit www.cit.ie.

Further Training
Both FÁS and Waterford Vocational Education Committee offer a range of apprenticeship and lifelong learning courses. Courses can be tailored to fit the bespoke requirements of your sector / business. Further information is available at www.fas.ie or www.wd-vec.ie.

Waterford County Council, in association with FÁS, Waterford Institute of Technology and Waterford Vocational Educational Committee work collaboratively to ensure that skills shortages that are identified. Courses are made available in partnership with industry to ensure that the bespoke skills needs of employers and employees can be provided.