Johnnie Wall: What I Want For Tralee In 2015

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Johnnie Wall.

Johnnie Wall says what Tralee needs for the new year is jobs…

Each and every year, for many years, my New Year’s wish for our town was and still is, that an industrialist would suddenly get the idea that Tralee was the place to set up business and that we would get 200/300 new jobs in town.

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As you know that has never happened. Factories have come and gone too many times in our town. Job opportunities are too few and far between.

One of the biggest companies, if not the biggest food ingredient company in the world, Kerry Group has been working from Tralee and Kerry for years.

If such a large company can make such a success operating from here, it begs the question; why can’t a similar company or one of the many technology companies that operate here in Ireland or throughout the world set up here?

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I believe that the time is now at hand to go after a big technology firm for Tralee.

What big companies are looking for when setting up an outlet is a well-educated workforce, a clean environment and a good quality of life after work.

If the former Denny factory site was cleared, levelled and made physically attractive, it would tick all the boxes.

The site offered free of charge (Tralee Town Council got it for nothing from Kerry Group) would make it even more attractive to one of these companies.

I feel strongly that the Council should go all out and put together a business plan for the site and that plan then presented to the IDA to follow up on.

That will at least show the government that we in Tralee are serious and it’s time they did something about our chronic employment situation.

Happy New Year from ‘The Wailing Wall’.

• Johnnie Wall is Chairman of Towards A Better Tralee

One Comment

  1. Noel Fitzgerald says:

    Dear Mr Wall, if you want to attract companies to set up businesses in the town, then the council should give them an incentive (1) provide factories and premises free of rent, providing they sign a 10 year agreement to employ 60% of the workforce from Kerry, (2) give them free advertising, (3) free Internet (4) good transport links, direct to there factory’s or premises.

    Tell building companies that if you want to build new homes you have to provide ex amount of apprentices. They must ensure these apprentices serve there full apprenticeship otherwise they will have to pay a penalty clause and will not be allowed to bid on future projects if they don’t comply.

    Attract Call Centres to the town, by offering to pay 30% of the phone bills, free Internet, rent free premises, providing they employ 60% of the work force from Kerry.

    This may look like a costly enterprise but, the benefits will be local people will have work, the money they earn will benefit the town, as they spend more. The town will attract outsiders to come and live in Tralee. The youngsters will be given hope for the future. The Town will be seen as a role model to other towns across Ireland. New businesses generate income and once established encourage other companies to set up in the Town. Tralee needs to speculate to prosper or the towns people especially the young will either leave or become hooked on social welfare. Once that happens its hard to get motivated to enter the workplace.

    Thank you Mr Wall for your time.

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