Sunday Business Post - Recruitment - Aug 23 2009
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A spate of redundancy announcements has rocked the Irish travel industry over the summer months, traditionally the busiest period for holiday-makers at home and visitors from overseas.
Last week, Sunway Holidays announced plans to close three outlets in Dublin, with the loss of nine jobs. The move followed 95 job losses at Budget Travel, which announced that it was to close 14 of its 31 Irish outlets earlier this month. The high-profile staff protests that followed Thomas Cook’s move to halt Irish operations, with 77 redundancies, pointed to wider unrest in a sector hit hard by the fall in consumer spending.
The numbers employed in the travel business have fallen significantly in the last year, according to Simon Nugent, chief executive of the Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA).
‘‘The pattern this year has been about companies shedding staff, not recruiting,” said Nugent. ‘‘While the leisure travel side has dropped away a bit, the corporate travel side has dropped significantly. I would say pretty much all ITAA member firms have reduced their staff since last autumn.”
Falling employment According to the most recent available CSO figures, overseas visits to Ireland fell by 114,000, or 15 per cent, in June compared to the same month last year. Eamonn McKeon, chief executive of the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation, said further job losses were inevitable.
‘‘We reckon that, overall, jobs in the travel and tourism industry fell by about 10 per cent last year from a peak of 310,000,” he said. ‘‘Our ‘guesstimate’ is that it will reach about 250,000 this year, based on what we hear from our members. I am not aware of any sector of the travel or tourism industry, with the possible exception of family-run B&Bs or farmhouses, which has not had to let people go. The numbers are down everywhere, from hotels and restaurants to cruising companies and car rental firms.
‘‘The Dublin Airport Authority has been talking about rationalisation, as have the airlines. Every sector either has let staff go or did not take on the additional summer staff they would normally have taken on.”
Valerie Sorohan, marketing manager of Jobs.ie, said there had been a noticeable drop in the number of travel and tourism positions advertised online this year.
‘‘Jobs.ie has five different categories of travel and tourism jobs: chef jobs, hotels, pubs, bars and clubs, restaurants and catering, and travel and tourism,” said Sorohan. ‘‘This year, the number of jobs posted has decreased across all five categories by 50 to 70 per cent year-on-year.”
Study and training
Nugent said the shortfall in available positions had prompted candidates in the sector to consider new training and study options. Overseen by the ITAA, the Travel Professionals Skillnet has introduced several new courses this year, including a DIT-accredited Travel Professionals Higher Certificate and shorter training programmes focused on specific aspects of the travel business.
‘‘The Skillnet has been extremely important, as it allows us to improve staff skills and help travel companies put their best foot forward,” said Nugent. ‘‘Consumers have become more demanding, and people working in our sector now need an encyclopaedic knowledge of routes and destinations, the legalities and complexities of travel, visas and passports and insurance issues.”
McKeon said upskilling was a viable route for candidates unable to secure work in the sector.
‘‘There are lots of terrific courses available from Fás, and more directly tourism-related ones from Fáilte Ireland,” he said. ‘‘Some are distance learning, some are six weeks, others six months. There is something there for every skill. In all jobs, even craft-based professions, there is always a further level you can go to.
‘‘Courses that teach supervisor’s skills are a relatively attractive option for people. It is hoped that they can come away with a better CV and, when normal times return, they should be more employable and able to command a higher salary.”
Related sectors
Sorohan urged candidates to consider looking for work in a new or related sector or profession.
‘‘In these sectors, customer service is of huge importance, and people can perhaps transfer their skills Individuals could look at customer service jobs, waiting staff positions or others,” she said.
Nugent said other consumerfocused sectors, such as retailing or marketing, could offer employment opportunities to individuals with a professional background in travel or tourism.
‘‘To work in a travel environment, you have to be an extremely good ‘people person’ with a broad range of knowledge,” he said. ‘‘Having worked in the travel sector is very good training for any customerfacing role.”
Nugent said many of the candidates who have lost their jobs as a result of the downturn in travel and tourism were relatively recent arrivals to the country.
‘‘In 2006 and 2007, our members found it more or less impossible to recruit the staff they needed here,” he said. ‘‘They found very talented travel agency staff abroad, and lots of people had good experiences employing them. There is certainly then some mobility in the sector.”
Sorohan said the number of candidates applying for positions posted on Jobs.ie had fallen.
‘‘This January, employers could have expected to receive 66 applications, but in June this year that went down slightly to 45,” she said. ‘‘That would suggest that non-Irish workers unable to find a job in these industries this year have moved to seek employment elsewhere.”
Protecting jobs
Nugent said employers in the sector were keen to protect as many jobs as possible.
‘‘Companies have negotiated reductions in salaries and different part-time or other working arrangements with their staff,” he said. ‘‘Staff are entirely aware of the realities of the sector and have been quite understanding.”
Staff unhappy with the redundancy terms offered by Thomas Cook, following the closure of its Irish branches, with 77 redundancies earlier this month, staged a high-profile sit-in at the company’s Grafton Street branch.
However, Nugent said most redundancies in the sector were proving less contentious.
‘‘We provide a legal advisory service for our members that covers employment law and personnel management and doing right by your staff,” he said. ‘‘It is a difficult area, but in most cases things tend not to become confrontational.”
Further redundancies
McKeon said that, with no end to the downturn in sight, employers in the travel and tourism sector could announce further redundancies.
‘‘Travel people tend to be optimistic and hope that a recovery will come,” he said. ‘‘The problem is that we are now entering the off-season, and companies will not have built up the strong cash flows this summer to get them through next winter.
‘‘Huge discounting has been great for the consumer, but has only kept things ticking over. The lack of availability of credit is really going to test the survival capacity of lots of good businesses this winter.”
Despite this, the number of hospitality positions advertised on Jobs.ie in the first six months of the year were up on the same period last year.
‘‘From January to June, there was actually an increase in jobs being posted across all the five travel and tourism sectors by an average of 44 per cent, which is promising,” Sorohan said. ‘‘It suggests that these areas were hit hardest by the recession last year, but this year there are signs that each of these areas are picking up.
‘‘At present, the hotels category has the most number of jobs listed, and chef positions are also quite popular.”
Government cuts
Last month’s Bord Snip Nua report recommended a €12 million cut to the government supported Tourism Marketing Fund and a €15 million slice off Fáilte Ireland’s budget.
McKeon cautioned the government against implementing either measure.
‘‘The only thing that will keep jobs within the tourism sector is if visitors keep coming, so governments need to keep their marketing budgets in foreign markets,” he said. ‘‘It is a viciously competitive world out there, and if Ireland disappears from websites, trade promotions, media advertisements and all of that, we will lose market share.”
McKeon said discussions were under way with the government to give tourism companies access to the Enterprise Stabilisation Fund, which was announced earlier this month.
‘‘Foreign tourism is an export business, although domestic tourism is not,” he said. ‘‘We would be anxious to have the scheme extended to the travel and tourism sector.”
Future recovery
Nugent said the travel industry would recover quickly, once the wider economy stabilised.
‘‘What is good for the economy at large is good for the travel sector,” he said. ‘‘If the overall economy gets righted, it will kick-start growth for travel companies.”
When it emerges from the recession, Nugent said the sector would be leaner and more technologically advanced.
‘‘Travel is a very dynamic sector, and has been long before the recent fast economic growth and then sudden economic decline,” he said. ‘‘Our members are transforming their business models all the time and investing in the online capacity of their staff. ‘‘That is the way the sector is going.”
Monday 31 August 2009
No break for travel industry
Irish have strong chance in Berlin World Championships
Sunday Business Post - Business of Sport - Aug 16 2009
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The Irish squad competing at the World Track and Field Championships in Germany is one of the most experienced sent to a major championship, according to Liam Hennessy, president of Athletics Ireland. Leading track stars such as David Gillick, Derval O’Rourke, Paul Hession, Eileen O'Keeffe and Robert Heffernan are all part of the 14member squad at the championships, which began yesterday in Berlin.
‘‘The majority of these athletes competed in the last World Championships in Osaka in 2007, and again last year at the Olympics in Beijing, so we are lucky in that respect,” said Hennessy. ‘‘There are some great athletes on the team - and you look to the likes of Paul Hession (200 metres) and David Gillick (400 metres), who have been so impressive this year.
‘‘Derval O’Rourke (100 metres hurdles) showed what she is capable of when winning a medal at the European Indoors, so she is hopefully going to be up there,” said Hennessy. ‘‘Then you have Rob Heffernan and Olive Loughnane in the race walking and Eileen O’Keeffe in the hammer. Rob and Eileen were both top six in Osaka and Olive was our best performer in Beijing, with a seventh place finish. I think we could see some great performances in Berlin.”
The team for the championships was decided following the Woodie’s DIY National Track and Field Championships earlier this month at Santry Stadium. It also includes Roisin McGettigan in the 3,000 metres steeplechase, Alistair Cragg in the 5,000 metres, Jamie Costin and Colin Griffin in the 50 kilometre walk, Deirdre Ryan in the high jump, Deirdre Byrne in the 1,500 metres, Michelle Carey in the 400 metres hurdles and Thomas Chamney in both the 800 metres and 1,500 metres.
However, Hennessy said that, given the standard of competition at the World Championships, the majority of the Irish team would be concentrating on improving their performances, rather than winning medals.
‘‘Getting a medal would be a great achievement, but we have to look at it realistically,” he said. ‘‘When you compete at this level in athletics - whether it is the World Championships or Olympics - it is extremely tough to win a medal. Everything has to go perfectly for an athlete, and we have to remember that this is a world event, so we are up against the best athletes from across the globe.”
He said that, if the Irish team could get a range of finalists and see some personal bests, ‘‘we would be very happy’’. ‘‘That would represent a very successful championship,” he said.
Funding
The focus on track performances this month is welcome for Athletics Ireland, after another year marred by familiar political struggles and funding controversies in the generally eventful world of Irish athletics administration.
Hennessy said that Athletics Ireland was happy with the government funding received this year, although the total amount fell from €1.34 million in 2008 to just over €1 million.
‘‘The money is down from 2008, but that is the same for the majority of national governing bodies and we just have to get on with it like anyone in business,” he said. ‘‘The economic downturn has affected everyone and sport is no different. We are lucky in that [Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism] Martin Cullen fought hard to ensure we were still able to get a similar amount of Irish Sports Council (ISC) funding in 2009, considering the amount of cuts that are happening across the board.”
According to widespread reports earlier in the year, the ISC suspended Athletics Ireland’s annual funding after disagreements over internal staffing and administrative issues between the two bodies, while former Athletics Ireland chief executive Mary Coghlan has alleged that ISC chairman Ossie Kilkenny and chief executive John Treacy were behind her removal from the position in June.
Coghlan is currently pursuing an unfair dismissal case in the High Court, and Hennessy said he could not comment on this issue. However, he maintained that any strains in the relationship between the ISC and Athletics Ireland had been exaggerated by the media.
‘‘There are no issues with the ISC and we have our full funding for 2009,which has helped us to invest in a range of programmes - from high performance right down to grass roots and participation level,” he said. ‘‘We work very closely with the ISC on all aspects of athletics. It has been integral to establishing the programmes and structures we have implemented and the success we have achieved in recent years.”
Brighter prospects
After the World Championships conclude on August 23, Hennessy said that Athletics Ireland’s focus would switch to the European Cross Country Championships, being held in Santry in December.
‘‘Hosting the Spar European Cross Country Championships is a huge honour for Irish athletics,” he said. ‘‘We are hoping to put on a great event for the athletes and the spectators. It is a huge undertaking, but everyone is fully committed to making this a huge success, from Fingal County Council to the Irish Sports Council and Dublin City Council. We are all working together on the event, as we have been for nearly two years now.”
He said that Ireland would have a strong team at the event, with a possibility of success for the home team.
‘‘What makes the event even more exciting is the strength of the Irish team we are going to have there,” he said. ‘‘With athletes of the calibre of Martin Fagan, Mary Cullen and Fionnuala Britton we will have a team capable of winning medals. For these athletes to be able to compete in a European Championships in front of their home crowd will give them a huge boost."
Monday 10 August 2009
Peachy chance to solve staff issues
Sunday Business Post - Recruitment page - Aug 9 2009
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A Donegal company has developed an innovative online service to help companies to manage staff in different locations. Due to launch this month, Nvolve’s PeachyPeople.com website combines three tools for communication, training and people management.
Barry Harper, chief executive of Nvolve, said the product would appeal to companies with far-flung, mobile workers.
‘‘The whole concept of teleworking and the distributed workforce is very prominent at the moment,” Harper said. ‘‘Many companies are cutting costs and have people working from home. If companies want to grow, they have to go into Britain or Europe. Peachy People.com has been developed to meet these trends.”
Harper drew on his own personal experiences to design the Peachy Performer element of the site, which also includes Peachy Learner and PeachyConnect.
‘‘I used to be HR manager for Nortel in Galway,” he said. ‘‘We did an annual performance appraisal, which was seen as a form-filling exercise and just got over as quickly as possible.
‘‘With PeachyPeople.com, managers or individuals assign different objectives, which can be reviewed or updated every week or every month. Managers can run reports showing the progress of all outstanding objectives, giving an overall snapshot of how the business is performing.”
The Peachy Learner toolset helps employees to share knowledge more effectively. It also provides access to Nvolve’s e-learning products.
‘‘It allows users to share learning objects such as web links and reports, videos or webcasts, while also having a catalogue of 500 e-learning courses that users can take at any time,” Harper said.
Peachy Connect facilitates communication between employees with free peer-to-peer phone calls, video conferencing and online collaboration.
‘‘I can hit a couple of clicks and everyone gets an e-mail with the correct number to dial and the password to enter the teleconference,” Harper said. ‘‘If I want a web conference, it is the same - only everyone clicks on a URL. If I want to see your computer screen, I can.We can collaborate together on a document. It is all about saving people time, making them more productive.”
Harper launched a test version of PeachyPeople.com late last year, and was spurred on by the response it received.
‘‘It got picked up by some prominent blogs, and we now have over 500 companies registered - spread across retail, hospitality, professional services, finance, biotech and many others, including the Hilton Hotel Group, Fexco and Digiweb,” he said.
Peachy People is delivered using the software as a service (Saas) model, which means that it is accessed on internet browsers.
‘‘I am here in Donegal and you could be in America, but with SaaS it makes no difference,” Harper said. ‘‘The information is displayed extremely fast and your browser is turned into a desktop-like application.”
Users can access the basic package for free, while additional functionality is available to buy.
‘‘Every account gets 100MB of free storage space, but once people start using the application, they will generally need to purchase more storage space from us,” said Harper. ‘‘Twenty user web conferences are free, but if you want 50 users, there will be charges. The e-learning courses in the ‘knowledge bank’ element will be offered at a cost. Some companies may never need to move into the paying versions, however.”
Peachy People users are encouraged to provide feedback and suggest ideas to improve the service.
‘‘If users come to us and say they want a recruitment tool, then we will look to add that,” he said. ‘‘Eventually, the user community will determine the feature-set.”
Harper established Nvolve in 2006.The company has six staff at its headquarters in Letterkenny and 15 developers based in India. Recently shortlisted for the Small Firms Association’s Innovation Award, Nvolve has also received equity funding under Enterprise Ireland’s high performance startup scheme
‘‘We are looking at going to the market for venture capital funding later this year,” said Harper. ‘‘We already have companies registered from Germany, South Africa, Australia, South Korea and Japan. Our aim is over one million daily users within the next 12 months.”
Monday 13 July 2009
Mayo firm signs New Zealand deal
Sunday Business Post - Done Deal page - Jul 12 2009
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Mayo company Surface Power has agreed a NZ$30 million (€13.5 million) deal with a New Zealand-based distributor. Under the terms of the five-year agreement with Solar Distribution, the company will establish a distribution and training centre in Tauranga, New Zealand, creating 12 new jobs.
‘‘The training and development centre will deploy our system to tens of thousands of utility customers, managing quality control and the whole exercise effectively,” said John Quinn, founder of Surface Power.
Surface Power makes solar thermal heating and cooling systems to help large-scale utility companies and governments to offset CO2 emissions.
Quinn said the company would announce a number of international deals over the next 12 months on the back of product approval it had secured in over 25 countries.
‘‘We are scaling up from a product development business,” Quinn said. ‘‘We have distributor approaches from most countries in the world at this stage, but we are concentrating on the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.”
Surface Power is seeking external investment to fund its expansion plans.
‘‘Several US-based investors have visited us and we would hope to have funding in place within the next three to four months,” said Quinn
Last month, the company signed a €20 million distribution deal with Irish partner Moritz Group. Established in 2003, with backing from Udaras na Gaeltachta and Enterprise Ireland, it employs 15 staff in Ireland and Britain.
‘‘Our 2007 [turnover] was €500,000. In 2009, we are expecting revenues of between €2 and €2.5 million,” Quinn said. ‘‘Next year, we expect to be in the US and Canadian markets, so the figure will grow significantly again.” Surface Power licenses production to a manufacturing partner in China, but plans to locate all activities in Ireland in the future.
‘‘We plan, in the next 12 months, to manufacture in Ireland to service the European market, particularly Britain,” Quinn said. ‘‘We will also establish manufacturing centres in North America and Australia.”
Monday 15 June 2009
Ronaldo to make his Madrid debut in Ireland
Read the article on the Sunday Business Post website by clicking here.
Cristiano Ronaldo looks set to make his Real Madrid debut in Ireland. The Portuguese star is expected to complete a €92 million transfer from Manchester United in time to line out alongside his new €65 million teammate Kaka´ for a friendly against Shamrock Rovers at their new Tallaght Stadium next month.
Ronaldo and Kaka´ will be accompanying their new team-mates – including Spanish internationals Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos, and Dutch stars Arjen Robben and Ruud van Nistelrooy – on a ten-day preseason training camp at Carton House in Maynooth, organised by Fintan Drury’s sports management company Platinum One.
‘‘The Ronaldo story was fantastic news for us,” said Eamon McLoughlin, head of football at Platinum One. ‘‘We knew from speaking with them early on it was their intention to bring in some top, top players. We’ve done Barcelona in Scotland for the last two years, and all the top players were there: Messi, Henry, Xavi and Iniesta. We cannot know what will happen with injury or illness, but 25 players from Real’s first team squad will be in Maynooth.”
McLoughlin said that Real Madrid would play one match against an Irish team during their trip, but could not yet confirm the date or opposition.
‘‘We are talking to the FAI and the clubs and to South Dublin County Council, before we can release details of the date and the match times,” he said.
It is understood, however, that the game will take place on July 20, and that extra temporary seating will be installed at Tallaght Stadium to allow a 10,000 attendance.
McLoughlin said that Madrid’s Irish trip – which takes place from July 13 to 22 – would form a key part of new first team coach Manuel Pellegrini’s preparations for Madrid’s 2009-10 Primera Liga and Champions League campaigns.
‘‘It is the hardest part of their pre-season, with twice daily intensive sessions,” said McLoughlin. ‘‘It is too warm to do those in Madrid at that time of the year. The new manager’s fitness coaches were in Ireland this week.”
McLoughlin said that Platinum One would be covering all of Madrid’s costs for their time in Ireland.
‘‘We will cover everything from chartering the flight to the training pitches, to the food, civic engagements in Ireland, security and everything else,” he said. ‘‘From the minute they get on the plane in Madrid, to the minute they touch down on return to Madrid, we will control everything. Quite a bit of planning has gone into it.”
In return, the company gets to market all the team’s activities during the training camp, including TV rights for the game, McLoughlin said.
‘‘All management, commercial and media issues around the game would be covered by Platinum One,” he said. ‘‘We will run daily press conferences at Carton House, where we would expect 100-plus media from around the world. The game will be live in Spain and, with the sort of players they are signing, there is a fair chance it will be live in quite a few countries.”
