McFadden welcomes jobs boost for Athlone

Newly elected Fine Gael Longford/Westmeath TD, Gabrielle McFadden, has today (Tuesday) welcomed the announcement that Ericsson is creating 120 new jobs at its sites in Athlone and Dublin.

“This is great news for Athlone, and further underlines Ericsson’s commitment to its site in the town. During the bye-election campaign, I repeatedly said that jobs for the Midlands were my number one priority. I am delighted with this announcement, which will come as a great boost to Athlone.

“The Ericsson plant in Athlone has had mixed fortunes in recent years, so it is great to see the workforce once again being expanded. I understand that recruitment is getting underway immediately for the highly skilled roles, which range from software developers to programme managers and consultants.

“It is very important to have multinational firms like Ericsson based in the Midlands. Not only is the company a major employer, its presence will help to encourage further international operations to locate in the Midlands as the recovery continues to take hold.

“I am pleased to learn that a number of the new jobs will go to graduates from Athlone Institute of Technology who have completed the MSc in Applied Software Engineering, which is sponsored by Ericsson. It is vital that we provide opportunities for our young graduates.

“I would like to commend the Minister for Jobs, Richard Bruton TD, for his determination to grow the ICT sector here and to ensure that the jobs recovery is felt right across the country. I intend to work with Minister Bruton in the Dáil to ensure the Midlands is promoted as an ideal location for investment.”