A Profile of the City
Pure Cork - An Action Plan For The City
Authority (SOLAS). This strategy seeks to provide a roadmap and overarching framework to guide the transformation of the sector in developing a world-class integrated system of further education and training. The Action Plan for Jobs (APJ) 2015 and Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures both elaborate a range of education and skilled-related actions. The APJ is particularly focused on a ‘national talent drive’ aimed at increasing the numbers of ICT and science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) graduates by 2018.
Force Unemployment rate in Cork City in 2011 was 22%, being above both the national (19%) and regional averages (20%). The northwest of the city (30%) and north-central (28%) had the highest rates. The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in Cork City in 2011 was 54%, being below both the national (62%) and regional averages (60%). The southwest of the city has the lowest LFPR (41%), reflecting its older age profile.
priorities is the development of the N28 Cork to Ringaskiddy Road, critical to facilitating the redevelopment of the Port of Cork. The Port is the key seaport in the south of Ireland, with 11 million tonnes of traffic and bringing over 145,000 cruise passengers and crew to the region in 2015. A €100 million upgrade to the Port of Cork will commence shortly which will future proof Cork as an international gateway for trade. This will also facilitate the relocation of port activities from the City centre, and free up vital space around Cork’s City harbour and docklands area for development. Access improvements currently underway at Cork City’s Kent rail station will reorient access away from the Lower Glanmire Road and towards the City Centre with a new entrance on Horgan’s Quay. This will create a better link between the rail station and city centre and bus station for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users. The City Centre Movement Strategy 2012 is a strategic plan to improve the transport function of the City Centre over a 10 year period, with a focus on improving streets for pedestrians and cyclists as well as improving the public transport system. Improvements are being undertaken by Cork City Council in partnership with the National Transport Authority. The vision for the Cork City Walking Strategy 2013-2018 is to make the city “...the most walkable city in Ireland, where people choose to walk as the safe, healthy and attractive alternative to private transport.” The strategy sets out four focus areas that
Transport Future: A strategic framework for investment in land transport , notes that the number of people driving to work in Ireland increased 140% between 1991 and 2011, with a corresponding decrease in the combined modal share of walking, cycling and public transport, from 34% to 24%. Many of the trends and arguments elaborated in Investing in Our Transport Future were anticipated in the DTTAS’s 2009 policy document, Smarter Travel: A Sustainable Transport Future – A New Transport Policy for Ireland 2009-2020 . The recently formed Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) has merged the roles of the National Roads Authority (NRA) and the Rail Procurement Agency (RPA) in delivering transport infrastructure and services, which contribute to the quality of life for the people of Ireland and support the country’s economic growth. The National Transportation Authority has a national role in helping to deliver more sustainable transport patterns, publishing guidance including “Achieving Effective Workplace Travel Plans – Guidance for Local Authorities” and “School Travel Toolkit” . The national capital investment programme Building on Recovery: Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2016-2021 provides the best current indication for future infrastructure investment in Ireland. This €42 billion framework plan includes the upgrading of vital infrastructure such as public transport, roads environment and communication infrastructure to boost the competitiveness of Cork City and the wider Cork region. One of the key investment
Skills and Human Capital - Stats and Facts
MORE THAN 15% OF THE CITY’S 2014 LIVE REGISTER OF UNEMPLOYMENT WERE UNDER 25 YRS OLD There is a distinct spatial pattern to unemployment levels in Cork City, with areas in the southwest and southeast having lower levels of unemployment. All four RAPID areas have higher levels of unemployment. In April 2014, there were 16,003 persons on the Live Register in Cork City, with 2,332 under the age of 25 (15% of the total Live Register). 1,444 (62%) of this number were males and 888 (38%) were females. Examples of skills shortages which SOLAS (the State organisation responsible for further education and training) have identified in the Cork area include: Engineering, chemical, biological and biochemistry scientists, cardiac and bio- technology technicians and tool makers and fitters (high tech manufacturing). The Labour
Transportation and Communications
“Rivalling the activity on the quays and in the harbour as a popular spectator sport was the tunnelling required to bring the Great Southern and Western line to Cork, which lasted for eight years. The two viaducts created by William Dargan, the engineer in charge of bringing Cork into the emerging national grid, are still in use on the Cork-Mallow-Dublin line at Monard and Kilnap…” Mary Leland; That Endless Adventure: A History of the Cork Harbour Commissioners, p76
Transportation and Communications - Policy
An efficient and effective transport system is critical to the wellbeing of the economy and community. The DTTAS, in Investing in Our
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