Hundreds of job seekers attend second annual Offaly Job Fair

HUNDREDS of job seekers from Offaly, Laois and the wider Midlands attended the second annual Offaly Job Fair in Tullamore on Saturday last.
Among the job seekers were many Ukrainian refugees now residing in Birr, Kilcormac and Tullamore.
The Job Fair was organised by Tullamore & District Chamber of Commerce along with partners, Offaly Local Development, Offaly Local Enterprise Office, Technological University of the Shannon Midlands Midwest and Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board.
The event, which took place in the Tullamore Court Hotel, was officially opened by Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Dara Calleary. Also in attendance was Junior Minister Pippa Hackett, Deputy Barry Cowen, Cllr Declan Harvey, Cathaoirleach of Tullamore Municipal District, Cllr Neil Feighery, Cllr Mark Hackett and the Chief Executive of Offaly County Council, Anna Marie Delaney.
Among the companies who exhibited were Integra, Steris, Cardinal Health, Zoetis, Thrace Synthetic Packaging, Nua Healthcare, Bord na Mona, Liberty homecare, Home Instead, Killeshall Concrete and Ardonagh Analytics Lab.
The hospitality industry was represented by the Tullamore Court Hotel and the Bridge House Hotel, Tullamore while other local exhibitors included Hoey & Denning Solicitors and Tullamore Credit Union.
Statutory bodies such as Offaly Local Enterprise Office, Offaly Local Development Company, Offaly County Council, Laois/ Offaly Education Training Board and the Technological University of the Shannon were also in attendance.
Spaeaking at the brief formalities, the President of Tullamore and District Chamber of commerce, Anthony Hanniffy said that over the past few years the Chamber has worked to support its members through some very difficult times.
“As we emerged from the Covid landscape and into the cost of living crisis we consulted with local businesses on the types of supports that would benefit the local business community the most. We expected recent events to have negatively impacted businesses but were pleasantly surprised at the strength and resilience of our community, with most businesses looking to push forward and grow despite these challenging times. There are some tremendous projects completed or in progress in Offaly at the moment and these have huge potential moving forward.”
Mr Hanniffy said the Chamber held the inaugural Offaly Job Fair last year and it was an unqualified success.“We had 35 businesses exhibiting and nearly 750 job-seeks at the event. I’m delighted to say that many of these job-seekers were able to obtain employment.”
He continued: “This event today wouldn’t be possible without the support of Offaly Local Development, Offaly Local Enterprise Office, Laois Offaly Education Training Board & The Technical University of the Shannon. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for the tremendous time and effort they have put in to help us to make this event a reality.”
“This event has been aimed at a wide diaspora of job-seekers, from the school-leaver hoping to find an apprenticeship or further their education, to the commuter looking to work closer to home and enjoy a better work/life balance, those looking to further their careers to those financially stretched looking to live outside the major cities where the cost of living is more affordable,” outlined the Chamber President. He concluded: “I am very enthused about our future here in County Offaly. We have a strong generation coming through into adulthood, our businesses are remaining strong and growing, our community spirit is high and these all make the county a wonderful place to live and work.”