12 tech companies from the north-west of Ireland have established the Tech North West cluster to showcase tech career opportunities in the region.
Ireland’s north-west is becoming a hub for tech jobs with a recent string of positive job announcements. More than 1,300 tech jobs have been announced for Sligo and Leitrim over the last 12 months.
The new Tech North West Cluster said it will work closely with education and support bodies like IT Sligo, Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim ETB, the Sligo Local Enterprise Office and the IDA.
“We want to show people living in Dublin, London and elsewhere that you can have a healthy tech career with progression and continuous learning opportunities while having a great work-life balance”
All of the companies are based in the north-west and are growing staff and developing cutting edge technologies that are being used on a global scale.
Build it and they will come
Tech North West’s chairman is David Kenny, site lead at multinational Overstock, which is growing its staff at its base in Sligo. “Tech North West is driven by a spirit of collaboration across the tech ecosystem in Sligo, Leitrim and surrounding areas. Our vision for the future is to work together to attract talent, new businesses and inspire the next generation of techies. We also want to show people living in Dublin, London and elsewhere that you can have a healthy tech career with progression and continuous learning opportunities while having a great work-life balance.”
The companies spearheading the initiative are SL Controls, Cora Systems, LiveTiles, Overstock, Frankli, 6 Degrees, Compupac I.T, Clanwillian Health, Anuview, Trojan I.T, Jalmia Solutions and Evolutio Care Innovations.
“It is such an exciting time to be a tech company based in the north-west as there is such a buzz and energy around the place, with a real sense of collaboration between the companies operating in the space,” said Keith Moran, founder and managing director of SL Controls. “But it is even more exciting for people who want to work in tech, with an abundance of vacancies coming on stream for software developers, coders, analytics experts and digital architects. They can now have the option of high-level positions while living in a place that values community and a great work-life balance.”
Elaine Murphy, general manager for LiveTiles in EMEA, is based in Sligo and is a member of Tech North West cluster. “Not so long ago, the idea of leaving the traditional hubs for a life in the North West region would mean sacrificing your career – that’s no longer the case. The region has been experiencing a string of high-end job announcements in recent years from large tech companies, creating roles across a range of areas including back-end and front-end development, internet of things, data, cybersecurity, AI and augmented reality.”
Seizing the day
The new Tech North West Cluster said it will work closely with education and support bodies like IT Sligo, May, Sligo and Leitrim Enterprise Training Board, the Sligo Local Enterprise Office and the IDA.
“We very much welcome the creation of Tech North West as it supports us in our work in attracting investment to the North West,” said John Nugent, IDA Ireland’s regional business development manager for the north-west.
“It is great to see technology companies in the region working together, influencing education and training provision and attracting talent. We are all working for a common cause. Demonstrating the breadth and scope of collaboration that exists here among tech companies is of enormous benefit to prospective investors. It shows how vibrant and effective the ecosystem is here and how open and welcoming the region is for this type of investment.”
Written by John Kennedy (john.kennedy3@boi.com)
Published: 25 July, 2019
Pictured (above) from left: Ronan McCabe of 6 Degrees, Lucia Macari and David Kenny from Overstock and Keith Moran, SL Controls. Image: James Connolly
