merrion street

The 2015 results for the Local Enterprise Offices are in and show that the 31 LEOs spread across the country have certainly been busy.

Some of the headline figures from the report include: at the end of 2015 total direct employment among the 6,500 LEO client companies stood at 32,592; 984 business projects around the country were directly supported by the LEOs to the value of €10 million; and 1,896 training programmes were undertaken involving 27,185 participants.

The survey monitors the employment performance amongst micro enterprises employing 10 people or less that have received direct financial assistance through the LEOs. It was compiled by the Enterprise Ireland Centre of Excellence, using the same systems as applied to the Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland annual results reports.

Read on for more detail on the report.... 

Job creation

• During the year, 7,122 new full and part time jobs were created in gross terms
• A net total of 3,533 new full and part-time jobs were delivered in 2015, when losses are taken into account
• Every county in the country saw growth in jobs in LEO-supported companies

Supports for entrepreneurs and businesses

• €10 million was provided in direct support for LEO client companies
• Aiming to boost local entrepreneurship and job creation potential, Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) competition generated 1,400 applicants in 2015
• There were 200 successful loan applications to Microfinance Ireland that were referred through the LEOs nationally
• Almost 1,700 small businesses availed of the Trading Online Voucher Scheme through the LEOs last year, which helps to support internet based sales

Training & mentoring

LEOs also supported budding entrepreneurs and small businesses with training and mentoring aimed at developing business ideas and building company capacity. 

• 1,896 training programmes were undertaken involving 27,185 participants
• One-to-one mentoring support was provided to 8,175 participants 

What is a Local Enterprise Office? What do they do?

As part of a range of reforms carried out by the Department of Jobs, Enteprise and Innovation in recent years, a system of 31 Local Enterprise Offices has been established to provide a ‘first-stop shop’ system of enterprise supports to start-ups and small businesses across the country.

The LEO network means that people thinking of starting or expanding a business in every part of the country can access the full range of State supports provided by different Government bodies – for example local authorities, Enterprise Ireland, Revenue, the Department of Social Protection, the Credit Review Office, training bodies – in one easily accessible location within the local authority.

Details on all the supports available for small businesses and microenterprises through the 31 LEOs are available at www.localenterprise.ie. 

Action Plan for Jobs

The establishment of the Local Enterprise Office network was a key action in Action Plan for Jobs 2014. Action Plan for Jobs is a key Government strategy to improve the conditions for job creation. You can find out more about  Action Plan for Jobs here. 

How do I find my Local Enterprise Office?

You can find more information on your Local Enterprise Office here.