Richard Bruton, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, has said he and Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn are to embark on an "ambitious process" to prepare to meet the needs of the growing ICT sector.

Following a visit to Silicon Valley in the US, Mr Bruton claimed Ireland is in a good position to capitalise on the global technology boom.

Mr Quinn has already pledged to provide one-year training courses in ICT skills as part of the government's Springboard initiative and he will now join up with Mr Bruton to see how the country can continue to produce skilled labour for the sector.

"I spent last week telling leading US companies at the highest level that Ireland is open for business and the response I got was very positive," Mr Bruton said as he arrived back from his five-day trip.

He added that the 22 firms he spoke with across the pond advised that Ireland's education services must be "fit for the demands of the new economy".

The Springboard programme was launched by Mr Quinn on May 25th and will offer 6,000 places on higher education courses for the unemployed.

Written by Donal Walsh

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