Outstanding Contribution Award for Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board
Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB) have been awarded an Outstanding Contribution Award for its contribution to the development of Ireland’s remote work ecosystem by social enterprise Grow Remote.
The award recognises the fundamental role of the LOETB in developing Ireland’s remote work ecosystem, by enabling organisations to successfully transition to this new way of working and by driving the development of a remote-ready workforce across the country.
Since 2019, in partnership with IDA, Solas and Grow Remote, the LOETB has successfully trained over 2,000 individuals in the skills needed to lead remote teams and to thrive in a remote work environment. Through its national training programmes the LOETB has supported the creation of hundreds of jobs that can be done from anywhere in Ireland, leading to better outcomes for businesses and employees, more opportunities for job-seekers, and re-energised local communities.
The Outstanding Achievement Award was awarded to the LOETB team by Grow Remote Co-Founder Tracy Keogh at the recent Grow Remote Summit in Portlaoise. A unique stone sculpture created by Irish artist Pat O’Connor was awarded, which represented the forward-thinking, innovative and courageous work of the LOETB over the past four years.
“We gave this award to the LOETB team in front of an audience of international, national and local stakeholders in the remote work ecosystem as a way of saying thank you for their incredible work and contribution to the remote work ecosystem, not only in Ireland but internationally. The impact of the LOETB extends far beyond the borders of Laois and Offaly and can be seen not only across Ireland but also internationally as other countries seek to replicate what has been achieved here," said Grow Remote Co-Founder, Tracy Keogh.
The LOETB took a pioneering approach to developing the remote work ecosystem in Ireland, understanding that a completely new set of skills are required to make remote work and that these skills could only be developed through taking an industry-led approach. They have led the way in ensuring Ireland is ahead of the curve internationally when competing for remote talent and inward investment from global remote companies,” she added.
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris praised the work of Laois Offaly ETB:
“I would like to congratulate Laois Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB) on the awarding of the Outstanding Contribution Award from Grow Remote. Early in the pandemic, LOETB in partnership with IDA Ireland and Grow Remote worked to make this programme available in a very short space of time and I am pleased to see that over 2,000 individuals have been successfully trained since then.
This is a great example of how the Further Education and Training sector can provide agile and flexible responses to the skills needs of the economy. As we have emerged from the pandemic, we are now seeing how remote working has become a key feature of working in Ireland and this programme equips employees and employers with the skills needed to succeed and thrive in this environment,” he added.