Dear Chamber Member,
I hope you, your families and colleagues are keeping safe and well.
Yesterday, Government announced that restrictions will begin to lift from April 12th, but on a phased basis. This is later, and slower, than we had hoped for, and there is still some road to go before many sectors return to meaningful economic activity. That said, there is much to give us hope, and we must continue to hold firm, working from home where we can and eliminating unnecessary contacts so that we will see improvements in the R-rate, that is so stubbornly holding us back. The increased pace in roll out of the vaccine programme in parallel is undoubtedly a critical element in unlocking restrictions.
Notwithstanding the need to continue to heed the health advice to curb the spread of the virus, it is clear that the response from the business community over the last year has been nothing short of outstanding. Government must afford businesses the ability to plan with more certainty for the future and for their employees by giving clarity with metric-driven milestones to work towards over the coming months. Supports must be strengthened and extended to 2022 particularly for the most vulnerable sectors who will not be reopening for business for some time to come.
While our Public Affairs team continues to work to affect change and advocate for the supports needed to help sustain your business during these restrictions, our Skillnet team has prepared busy Spring-Summer schedule of subsidised training courses, designed to help upskill your team and prepare for your return to more normal work activities. Skillnet at the Chamber also delivers bespoke, in-house training for those who need it and our Training Network Manager Garrett can guide you in deciphering the best fit for you and your team. More HERE.
I hope to see you in the near future at one of our upcoming events as we continue to deliver free content for our Chamber membership. Our new Chamber Connects series, which kicks off on April 22 is the exciting new city to city series that brings members together to grow networks, nurture connections and forge new partnerships. More on events HERE.
I wish you all a safe and happy Easter and welcome you to contact me directly on 087-9471858 or by e-mail HERE to discuss any issues affecting your business. We are here to represent you.
Warm regards,
Conor Healy
CEO
