Tag: Docklands

Taoiseach Micheál Martin announces €750,000 funding from Google.org for Docklands upskilling initiatives

Taoiseach, Micheál Martin joined Google’s Vanessa Hartley at the Fair Play Cafe in Ringsend today to announce €750,000 in funding from Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, to St Andrews Resource Centre. This project will deliver comprehensive wrap-around training and support to 1,000+ unemployed individuals and early school leavers in Dublin Docklands communities, aiming for at least 50% of beneficiaries to access further education or employment opportunities.

The funding will help future-proof Dublin’s Docklands communities through hyperlocal training initiatives that will strengthen essential skills and provide support to help people access jobs, education, and long-term employment opportunities.

Google.org provided the funding to St Andrews Resource Centre who will use the funds to support the work of This City Works, a platform between Dublin city-based community employment services, helping job seekers in Dublin find the right job for them. The training will be delivered through several vital programmes. These include a certified Train-the-Trainer programme for unemployed adults, an expanded community-based digital support for early school leavers and long-term unemployed, and a Level 5 Homecare Assistant course for 20 learners aimed at bridging local employment gaps and preparing students for AI-linked apprenticeships.

The grant will also fund wraparound support across multiple partner organisations such as LIR, Lets Go, FAACT, Fair Play Digital Hub, and others to ensure learners can access coaching, mentoring, and practical assistance. The initiative will support 100 learners through career development programmes, upskill students in ten local schools, and enable 15 learners with additional support needs to complete a modular employment programme.

Speaking at today’s event Taoiseach Micheál Martin said:

“The strength of Ireland’s digital future lies in our people. This initiative directly supports our national ambition to make Ireland a global leader in applied AI. It is vital that early school leavers and those seeking new career paths have direct access to AI and digital literacy. This project shows that when we align community needs with the right training, we create a more inclusive, resilient, and future-proof workforce for the Dublin Docklands and beyond. I want to thank Google.org for its continued commitment to this invaluable work.”

Vanessa Hartley, Head of Google Ireland, said:

“The Docklands has been our home for over twenty years and we are dedicated to working in partnership with our neighbours to identify the skills and support they need to succeed. In today’s world, fluency in digital tools and AI is no longer optional, it’s essential.  The success of our programmes in recent years is why we remain committed to ensuring people from all backgrounds have access to the skills needed to thrive in an ever-evolving society and work environment.”

Jim Hargis  St Andrews Resource Centre and member of This City Works, said:

“Support like this is the lifeblood of community development. It means we can immediately scale up our operations to meet the rising demand for vocational and AI and digital skills training in the Docklands community. We are grateful to Google.org for its ongoing support on this initiative, which will have a tangible, lasting impact on the lives of our learners and their families.”

The goal of This City Works is to empower vulnerable and at-risk school leavers and unemployed people in the local community of Ringsend and Pearse Street by providing training and skill enhancement opportunities, complemented by support services, with the aim of increasing their employability and promoting social inclusion.

For more information visit This City Works.

Ekco launches new Dublin HQ

Ekco, one of Europe’s leading security-first managed service providers, today announces the opening of its new headquarters, featuring a state-of-the-art Security Operations Centre (SOC), in Dublin’s Grand Canal Dock. The opening comes as Ekco is targeting revenues exceeding €100 million in Ireland and €200 million globally by year-end 2025. Together, the new HQ and SOC will enable Ekco to accelerate its growth in Ireland, boost cyber resilience for businesses, and deliver an enhanced offering to customers.

This is Ekco’s third global SOC and builds on the success of its existing cybersecurity facilities in the UK and Malaysia. It will help to meet growing customer demand for advanced cybersecurity products and services. The SOC will combine advanced threat detection capabilities with Ekco’s expert analysts to identify and respond to threats quickly, and protect businesses from evolving cyber risks. It will also support compliance and enable businesses to align with regulatory requirements, while safeguarding personal and company information.

The SOC can automatically take action when serious threats are detected, including isolating affected devices without the need for manual intervention, helping to ensure faster protection. Ekco’s incident response team has also grown in order to respond to security incidents more effectively, with responses to potential threats increasing by more than 200% over the past six months.

Following a number of strategic acquisitions in Ireland – amounting to seven in the last two years – the new HQ will provide a central hub for Ekco’s approximately 500 employees in Ireland. It will contribute to enhanced collaboration between teams to facilitate more comprehensive customer solutions, while also streamlining processes and service delivery.

In addition, the new HQ provides boosted capacity and will enable the company to expand its customer base in Ireland, with plans to increase the number of customers by 15% in 2026. This will include growth in the public, finance, legal, and professional services sectors. Ekco is also on a path of aggressive global growth and is continuing to expand in key international markets including the UK, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the U.S.

Steve MacNicholas, CEO Ireland, Ekco, said: “The opening of our new Dublin headquarters signifies our commitment to safeguarding businesses and driving consistent growth for Ekco in Ireland. We are on an exciting acquisition path, supplemented by planned organic growth, and this new hub will provide a central location for employees to collaborate. Furthermore, as our team continues to grow internationally, this state-of-the-art facility cements our commitment to Ireland as a leader in cybersecurity.

“The launch of our third SOC represents a significant step for our business as we look to meet the ever-increasing demand for future-ready cybersecurity services. This will enable us to deliver an enhanced service to our customers, ultimately helping businesses to stay ahead of evolving cyber threats, and provide our solutions to an increased client base.”

Yahoo announces official opening of new Dublin office

Yahoo today announced the official opening of its new offices in Dublin to further enhance its services across the company’s corporate functions globally, in Ireland, and across Europe.

Based in the EXO building in The Dublin Docklands, Yahoo will use the 3,317 sq m / 35,703 sq ft space to foster collaboration for engineering, research & development, legal, finance, sales, operations, customer care and security roles.

“Our new Dublin office will help foster even more collaboration and innovation in the region,” said Jim Lanzone, CEO of Yahoo. “With dedicated space for our engineering, sales, security, operations and finance teams, we’re better positioned to serve our customers as a trusted guide navigating the digital landscape.”

The new office is an important milestone in continuing Yahoo’s regional presence and a commitment to supporting local talent for the city’s growing tech space.

“We believe that Ireland is one of the best places in the world to do business,” said Edel Murphy, MD Yahoo Ireland. “Dublin is home to a bustling tech scene, and the innovation on offer combined with the diverse mix of talent makes it an important, strategic location for companies like Yahoo. We’re looking forward to welcoming our team members to this fantastic space dedicated to helping us deliver innovation to our clients and partners across Ireland and Europe, and for the millions of people who use Yahoo around the world.”

Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment Peter Burke said: “Congratulations to Yahoo on the opening of their new offices in the EXO in the Docklands, a significant milestone in the company’s history. Thank you for choosing Ireland for nearly 30 years and continuing to invest here.  Your unwavering confidence underscores what we know about our offering in Ireland – that we are a reliable location for international businesses to grow and thrive. Best wishes to Yahoo into the future.”

Michael Lohan, CEO of IDA Ireland said: ‘’Yahoo has been in Ireland for 29 years and in that time has contributed to Ireland’s growth and success in the tech sector. Their continued investment helps position Ireland as a location for long term growth and is a great vote of confidence in the talent that we can offer here. I would like to congratulate Yahoo on the opening of their new office space and wish them continued success.’’

Smart Docklands Announces €50,000 seed fund investment into Four Pilot Projects to Address Community Need

Smart Docklands is delighted to announce the winners of its first Call for Pilots. The programme is delivered in partnership between Dublin City Council and the CONNECT Research Ireland Centre for Future Networks headquartered at Trinity College Dublin

Smart Docklands is one of Dublin’s flagship smart districts – a unique collaboration across academia, industry and local government to advocate for and pilot community centred technology innovations.

This Call for Pilots aims to tackle key community priorities identified through a community survey that was carried out in late 2023 and early 2024 where insights were gathered from over 300 responses. Smart Docklands ensures that smart tech is not just being deployed for ‘tech’s sake’, the programme works to engage directly with the community who live in, work in or visit the Docklands. This is done through in-person events and innovative approaches to community surveys.

After extensive community engagement, followed by a Call for Pilots four projects have now been selected out of 41 applications that were submitted to receive seed funding, with €12,500 allocated to each project. The winning pilots will tackle pressing challenges across environmental monitoring, community development, and antisocial behaviour, aiming to create a more sustainable, inclusive, and enjoyable Docklands for all.

 

Jamie Cudden, Smart City Lead on announcing the pilot winners at an event in the Dublin City Council Innovation Hub in the CHQ said:

“These pilot projects highlight how technology can make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. By directly engaging with the community, we’ve chosen initiatives to address the Docklands’ community concerns around sustainability, youth engagement and environmental concerns. We are super excited to be working with such an amazing group of innovators and entrepreneurs who all want to make a difference for the Docklands community!”.

Professor Dan Kilper, Director CONNECT Centre, Trinity College Dublin said: 

“The CONNECT Centre is proud to partner with Smart Docklands on the Pilot Projects, which play an important role in demonstrating the transformative impact technology can have when guided by community needs. These initiatives create solutions that address real challenges and pave the way for a smarter, more sustainable future. The pilot winners’ projects highlight this important work—congratulations to them and to our colleagues at Smart Docklands.”

The four pilot winners are:

  • UTS Technologies – River Liffey Water Sensors: This project introduces a network of sensors along the River Liffey to deliver real-time data on water behaviour, supporting a diverse range of users including kayaking and boating. The aim of this initiative is to bring an improved understanding and actionable insights for users of the river and to support more sustainable river management.
  • UCD – Count Docklands: Deploying a network of citizen science traffic monitoring, low-cost, camera-based traffic counters across the Docklands. This will empower citizen scientists to gather crucial data, supporting Dublin’s transport goals improving community engagement in urban mobility planning and traffic monitoring.
  • UCD – Craft My Street: Highly innovative youth engagement leveraging open-source geospatial data and Minecraft for crowd mapping through interactive multiplayers gaming. This pilot aims to support young people to actively participate in shaping policies and projects that affect their communities.
  • HoloGen – Immersive Graffiti: Leveraging AR/VR technology to teach young people about street art, this project turns illegal tagging into an opportunity for learning and expressing art in a safe virtual space. The aim of which is to reduce illegal graffiti and a boost in creative urban expression.

The Smart Docklands programme established in 2017 has a track record of collaboration where academia, local government, industry, and residents come together to address urban challenges through innovation and deployment of new and emerging technologies. The Call for Pilots is a testament to the programme’s commitment to ensuring that technology serves real community needs.

Smart Docklands’ first Call for Pilots represents a milestone in creating a connected, innovative, and engaged urban environment. By addressing key challenges through collaboration, education, and smart technology, these pilot projects highlight the benefit of what smart districts can achieve.

Smart Docklands extend thanks to Accenture, An Post, IPB Insurance, and National College Ireland for their support in evaluating applications. Their expertise and collaboration have been crucial to ensuring a fair and thorough process, highlighting the power of collective effort.

For more information about Smart Docklands and its initiatives, visit https://smartdocklands.ie/

Google to provide 500 Scholarships to local community to increase AI skills

Minister Eamon Ryan TD will today officially unveil a new community led Digital Training Academy for the Docklands area to support ongoing digital skills training for the community with a particular focus on promoting AI skills. 

The new academy has been  funded by a Google.org grant and  has been developed by This City Works, a partnership between Dublin city-based community employment services and Google Ireland, helping job seekers in Dublin find the right employment opportunities. As part of the Digital Academy, Google will also provide funding to support 500 AI Essentials Certificates for the community.  

The AI Essentials Certificate is an online self-paced course designed to help people across roles and industries learn AI skills to boost their productivity. The Digital Academy will also offer people the opportunity to achieve QQI level awards across various disciplines. As the first community-based centre of its kind, the Digital Training Academy represents a significant step in delivering certified training programmes to the local community. 

Speaking about the launch Minister Eamon Ryan TD said:

“The launch of this Digital Training Academy will give people the essential digital and AI skills needed to thrive in an ever-evolving society and work environment. Together Google.org and This City Works are opening doors for people to gain practical knowledge that can boost their confidence, their skills as well as their career and employment prospects. It’s an academy for today that equips people for their futures and reflects the ongoing commitment of This City Works to the docklands and to supporting jobseekers and employers operating in an increasingly digital world.”

Ryan Meade, Public Policy Lead at Google Ireland, said:

 

“Since 2022, This City Works has helped over 4,000 people access skills development and employment opportunities. Google Ireland is proud to support these important initiatives and the Digital Academy will be a powerful resource for ongoing skills training in the community. AI has the potential to address society’s biggest challenges, and Google is committed to ensuring people from all backgrounds have access to the skills needed to navigate and harness this technology responsibly. By working together, we’re preparing our community to thrive in the digital age and ensuring AI training is accessible to everyone.”

Joe Donnelly, This City Works, said:

“At This City Works, we believe in the transformative power of education and community collaboration. The launch of the Digital Training Academy and the provision of 500 AI Essentials Certificates represent a significant step towards empowering local residents. By offering essential skills training and support, we aim to create sustainable employment opportunities for those who need it most. Together with our partners, we are dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone has the chance to succeed and thrive in today’s digital economy.”

To find out more about the Digital Academy, contact info@fairplaycafe.ie