A new hotel has opened in Enniskillen and with it the creation of more than 30 new jobs.
Tourism Minister Arlene Foster officially opened the Enniskillen Hotel and announced that the £825,000 development will create 33 jobs over the next two years.
The minister said:
“This new Enniskillen Hotel is a very significant addition to the excellent range of facilities in Fermanagh for tourists. It is also in line with the designation of Fermanagh Lakelands as a key regional destination by my Department and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board.”
“The opening of a new hotel in Enniskillen is exceptionally well timed, in that it will offer additional quality accommodation well ahead of the G8 Summit next June. This high profile event will showcase Fermanagh to a global audience and make an important contribution to grow tourism in Northern Ireland to a £1billion industry by 2020.”
“In addition to the important services the new Enniskillen Hotel will offer visitors, the development will provide quality employment opportunities and lever additional salaries of around £489,500 for the local economy. It will also offer substantial business opportunities to other local supplies in sectors such as food and drink, tour operators and transport.”
“Invest Northern Ireland’s support through the Jobs Fund will enable Damiraco to recruit staff quickly and capitalise on the expected boost in visitors to the area.”Â?
Invest Northern Ireland has offered the Damiraco Ltd development £99,000 of support towards the project through its Jobs Fund.
Meanwhile Employment and Learning Minister, Dr Stephen Farry, this week, announced the launch of the 2013 Essential Skills Awards.
Essential Skills courses aim to equip learners with the skills they need to progress and offer improved career opportunities.
Commenting on the launch, the minister said: “The Essential Skills Awards are a truly inspirational event, which highlight the remarkable stories of the learners, many of whom left school with few or no qualifications and have taken advantage of a second chance at learning to realise their full potential. Last year we had a very high number of entries to the competition and I hope we can do even better this year.”
“To date, over 91,000 people have achieved almost 169,000 Essential Skills qualifications. This strategy has delivered outstanding results since it was launched 10 years ago with over 300,000 enrolments on Essential Skills courses, and those adults who have taken part now have the skills to do their job better and have a real chance to progress and improve their lives and career choices.”
The Awards are designed to recognise and celebrate outstanding achievements in literacy, numeracy and ICT learning. The competition, which is now in its sixth year, is open to adults studying Essential Skills from across Northern Ireland.
Last year’s winner, Peter Williamson said: “Without the qualifications I would not have been promoted with my current employer. My skills, confidence and increased knowledge have allowed me to assist other people both at home and in the workplace.”
Application forms are available from the Department’s website http://www.delni.gov.uk/essentialskillsawards2013