Newry’s transformation
Education 2 Employment
Presentation to
St Joseph’s High School
December 2012
Dr Conor Patterson
2012: A CHANGING IRELAND
IRELAND
• A stepping
stone for
North, Central
& South
American
companies
into Europe
• Skilled people
• Low business
tax
• Euro
• English
speaking
Newry
Newry
transformed
Newry then…..
1922 - 1998
Economic Disadvantage Contributed to
Political Instability
Dis-investment
The Transformation of
Newry
Late 1990’s onwards - NEW INVESTMENT
A station fit for one of the
best located places in
Ireland for doing business
NEW ROADS
Transformation
Factors
Transformation Factor
Peace
A New Departure
Transformation Factor
European
Union
EUROPEAN UNION
• Removed economic borders
• Investment
• Brought countries and parties together
Newry’s location:
2.5 million consumers within 100km
Transformation Factor
Self Help &
entrepreneurial
culture
Entrepreneurial Spirit
• Highest rate of self employment in UK
• Many micro-enterprises (4,055) – higher 5
year survival rate than NI or UK average
• A high concentration of successful locally
owned export-focused businesses that could
provide a blueprint for the rest of Northern
Ireland
• Commitment to self-improvement through
education
Globally successful locally-owned
businesses across a range of sectors
• Norbrook Laboratories (pharmaceuticals)
• Glen Dimplex (electronics)
• MJM (specialist fit out)
• First Derivatives (financial software)
• Parker Green International (property)
Entrepreneurial Spirit
•
Newry was a ‘frontier’ location during the
troubles – little or no public or private investment
in its economy
•
Self-help, especially self employment,
became a way of life for many in Newry.
•
Trading back and forth across the border was
second nature
SELF HELP
•Newry Credit Union
Giving the working class access to finance
•Newry & Mourne Co-operative and
Enterprise Agency
Working in Partnership locally,
regionally, nationally, internationally
•Community Associations across Newry
Transformation Factor
Inward
Investment
INWARD INVESTMENT
• N./R.Ireland = English-speaking
• N./R. Ireland = Young well-educated pop’
• Attractive base for US multinationals (Irish-American
links)
• R.Ireland = Euro
• R.Ireland = Low business tax (two thirds less than UK)
• N./R. Ireland = Small (a little inward
investment makes a big difference)
Transformation Factor
Partnership Working
Greater Newry Greater Vision
The Development Challenge
…. Unblocking the bottleneck
Southern Relief Road and Bridge
The Development Challenge
exploit our assets
The Recession
The effects of the RECESSION :
• Unemployment
• Lower wages
• Restricted bank lending
• Austerity measures
• Loss of confidence
Entrepreneurship is the route out of
Recession ....
The solution to the economic crisis....
at a time when banks have no funds,
governments are making cuts and big
businesses are contracting not expanding......
lies with people turning to their ‘inner
entrepreneur’ to create their own
opportunities......
their own ‘Work In Newry’ (WIN).......
- Being an ‘entrepreneur’ doesn’t mean
you have to start your own business.
- It’s a way of thinking....
- Many people who don’t work for
themselves are recognised as
‘entrepreneurs’ within their
organisations
A ‘social entrepreneur’.....
Conor Patterson
Newry & Mourne Co-operative and
Enterprise Agency
Well known
entrepreneurs
Do you know any other
entrepreneurs?
Any Questions?
Real life entrepreneurs
You will now break into groups of 10 and
visit local entrepreneurs who run their
businesses from WIN Business Park on a
daily basis
Please ask these entrepreneurs plenty of
questions as they are the experts!