Hundreds of people across the Mid West region have signed up to a retraining initiative, targeted at those who may find themselves out of work as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
It is part of what's described as a unique collaboration between public and private organisations in Clare, Limerick and Tipperary to develop an economic recovery programme for the region.
The 'Regional Covid-19 Response Group' is understood to be the first regional economic response to the economic fallout from the pandemic.
The plan aims to identify online retraining programmes to specifically target those displaced in the tourism, retail, hospitality and allied sectors as well as 'a longer-term strategy to identify and maximise regional development opportunities'.
It is estimated that, prior to the pandemic, about a fifth of workers in the region were employed in the retail, hospitality and tourism sectors.
Some of the training programmes will provide skills that are complimentary to participants' current roles.
A course on infection control, for example, has proved popular among individuals working in hotels and other hospitality venues as they return to work in a changed environment.
For others, the programmes are aimed at giving them new skills to equip them for a changed economy after the pandemic with many permanent job losses expected.
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"The essence of the programme is to bring together employers and employees to navigate the period of displacement and to provide a platform for upskilling," Denis Kelly of DK Strategic Solutions, one of the founders of the initiative, explained.
The group was established seven weeks ago in the very early stages of the introduction of restrictions.
Since then, they have collaborated with 30 hotels, 20 retailers, academic institutions and the county councils to identify opportunities for affected workers.
It is hoped the initiative could be rolled out beyond the Mid West region in the weeks and months ahead.
