Presentation by Declan Rice , CEO, Kilkenny Leader Partnerships, Ireland. 9th Annual Meeting of the OECD LEED Forum on Partnerships and Local Governance (Dublin-Kilkenny, Ireland), 26/27 March 2013. http://www.oecd.org/cfe/leed/9thfplgmeeting.htm

1. 9th Annual Meeting
IMPLEMENTING CHANGE:
A NEW LOCAL AGENDA FOR
JOBS AND GROWTH
In co-operation with the EU Presidency, Irish Government and Pobal
26-27 March 2013, Dublin-Kilkenny, Ireland
WORKSHOP A: LOCAL JOB CREATION - HOW EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING
AGENCIES CAN HELP
Declan Rice
CEO, Kilkenny Leader Partnerships, Ireland

2. “Enterprise & Employment”
A Local Approach to Global
Issues
Connected Strategies for Sustainable Communities

3. KLP- who are we?
• Kilkenny LEADER Partnership (KLP) is a non-profit
‘local action group’.
• It has a Mission Statement stating its purpose:
Kilkenny LEADER Partnership will lead and facilitate the creation
of an integrated local development strategy to improve the
economic, social and cultural quality of life of the people,
communities and small enterprises of all County Kilkenny.
• KLP is governed by a 24-person board of directors
with community sector majority.
• Employing approximately 50 staff operating a range
of development programmes and initiatives.

4. KLP- what do we do?
• KLP operates a number of EU and state economic
and social development programmes in County
Kilkenny. These include:
– LEADER- Axes 3 & 4 of the rural development programme
of the Common Agricultural Policy.
– Local Community Development Programme (LCDP)
– TÚS- community employment placement initiative.
– Rural Recreational Officer programme and related Walk
Scheme
– Inter-Reg IV-A; ‘Outdoor Tourism’ project on River Barrow
– Rural Social Scheme- low income farmer community
employment initiative.

5. “Connected Strategies
for Sustainable Communities”
• The various programmes have their own goals, aims and
objectives. These are achieved while KLP operates an
integrated approach to the delivery of all programmes.
• KLP operates the programmes in the furtherance of a local
development plan.
• The various programmes are a tool box for integrated
economic and social development.
• This should provide a more comprehensive and focused
dividend for the local community.
• That’s the source of our brand strapline- ‘Connected
Strategies for Sustainable Communities’

6. KLP’s Targets & Priorities
• In its LEADER plan for rural Kilkenny KLP has focused as priority
areas for economic and employment growth on:
– Artisan and small food enterprises,
– rural tourism enterprises,
– renewable energy enterprises
– farm diversification enterprises
• In the LCDP, the KLP mentored ‘Employability Strategy’ for
Kilkenny has similarly focused on the following sectors:
– Food
– Light engineering
– Administration businesses
– Renewable energies & ‘Green Businesses’
– Tourism & Hospitality enterprises
• The local initiatives here reflect these priorities & targets.

7. Crucial Role of Pillar Programmes
The 2 Pillar Programmes: LEADER
and LCDP support and fund the
KLP Local Initiatives. They and
supporting programmes such as
LEADER Inter-Reg, TUS and RSS are crucial
to the KLP development strategy.
LCDP
TÚS RSS

8. Public, Private & Community Partnership
• LEADER is a part-funded programme- 50% to 90% rate
range: requiring significant non-public micro-
enterprise, local authority or community contributions.
• The LCDP leverages significant public funding and is
recognised as a value-added medium.
• KLP has partnerships with large businesses on projects:
– Kick Start- a job placement and training initiative tailored to local job
opportunities. Part-funded by State Street
– Vulcan- a 5-county regional project developing wood-fuel supply chains
among small forestry owners. Part-funded by Danone Ecosysteme

9. Barrow Valley
Development Initiative
• A integrated series of capital, marketing and
training/ employment initiatives to develop
the River Barrow as a tourism centre.
• The second longest river in Ireland- and the
most attractive!
• Navigable from Dublin to Waterford.
• Potential to be a major tourism centre for
the east of Ireland- with Kilkenny at its
centre.
• Partnership required with multiple
stakeholders: community groups, business,
other local action groups, local authorities,
state agencies, transnational partners.

10. Unlocking the Barrow
• A development proposal for a €9.5 million
investment to improve the river’s boating
navigation.
• Engineering works- short canals, etc. at key
constriction points; St Mullins, Carlow Bridge.
• Pay back within 10 years.
• Presented to government for their
consideration.

11. Barrow Funding ‘Toolbox’
• Research on improving the boating navigation-
LEADER & community
• Development of Outdoor activity Hub in
Graiguenamanagh- LEADER & local authority
• Capital support towards long-distance cycle trail
and canoe trails- LEADER & community.
• Support for employment and enterprise (capital,
marketing, training, etc.)- LEADER, LCDP & Inter-
Reg,
• Capital support for marina in – LEADER &
community

12. Kick Start Programme?
• A Kilkenny job placement & training programme for local
unemployed people.
• Kick Start is a result of the ‘Employability Strategy’ devised by KLP
& adopted by Kilkenny County Development Board. It defined:
– Employment supports should focus on areas of local job growth: tourism,
light engineering, food, financial services and renewable energies.
– Provide direct linkage between local job seekers and employers
• Kick start is 12-weeks duration per individual, which inlcudes a 4-
week lead-in train module.
• Participants gets a training grant to develop their skill set and
qualifications in an area of local employment growth.
• Key defining character is the tailoring of training needs to the skills
set of the participant and the needs of the employer.
• KLP provides coordination and support services to both.

13. Kick Start Toolbox
• Kick start does not pay participants
• The LCDP supported the operation of the
programme
• The Department of Social Protection (DSP)
supported the training allowances.
• State Street- a major financial services company
with a base in Kilkenny has been a co-funder
with LCDP of operations element.
• Employers make a contribution to the training
element of the participants.
• LEADER funded the employers’ forum costs.

14. Kick Start results & potential
• The two Kick Start Programmes in 2012 produced 17 placements
and from those there were :
– 4 Individuals who went into Full Time Work,
– 1 person into Self Employment,
– 1 Person into Part Time Work
– 2 Individuals into Internships
• KLP is very happy with the headline results- and with the effect on
those who did not get a direct ‘result’ but benefitted form it.
• Following review with both participants & employers, the third
round of Kick Start starting Spring 2013 with 20 participants.
• KLP & State Street believes that the model can be transposed to
other urban and rural areas of the state.
• DSP are interested in the lessons of Kick start for their national
programmes.

15. Trail Kilkenny
• Trail Kilkenny is a non-profit company established to guide the
development, maintenance and marketing of leisure trails in the
county.
• Founded by KLP & Kilkenny County Council.
• Board also comprises Kilkenny Sports & Recreation Partnership,
landowner and community interests.
• KLP identified trail development as an relatively low-cost way to
develop and link rural tourism providers and hubs.
• The Board member organisation provide the development,
maintenance and marketing costs between them
• From a very low base, the Company has driven the development
of a complete suite of trails for use by tourists and residents.

16. Linkage of Physical and ‘Concept’ Trails
• Kilkenny does not have the dramatic ‘wild’ scenery
of other established trail areas in Ireland.
• Trail Kilkenny’s solution is to develop physical trails
such as walking, cycling, canoe for the ‘soft
adventure’ tourist and link them to trail
experiences that this type of visitor may also enjoy:
– Craft Trail
– Food Trail
– ‘Ghost’ Trail- coming soon!
• The latter concept trails are developed with
businesses in those sectors.
• The benefits to the concept trail business should
lead to the support of the physical maintenance

17. Trail Kilkenny video
Video Clip

18. Food Strategy- Motivation
Food matters! How a county or region values the
role of food businesses in its society is important.
Not just as a public health issue or even as a matter
of supporting primary producers - but for the multiple
of social, cultural and economic benefits that grow
from the development of an integrated strategy.

19. Kilkenny Food Strategy- History
• Growing Local Food Economy was published in October 2010
following almost one year of wide ranging consultation with
all the agency, industry and community stakeholders.
• Growing Local Food Economy is a comprehensive and
integrated strategy- including enterprise, community and
training, designed to make Kilkenny a leader in ‘food culture’.
• Key to the Strategy’s recommendations was the appointment
of a ‘Food Development Team’ to drive the integrated
Strategy.
• Shortly before the conclusion of the appointment process in
early March 2011- the LEADER food ban came in into force.
• As a result- no structured action on the Strategy until the
blockage was clarified and resolved

20. Food Strategy- Progress
• Can we now start to plan again?
• Probably- YES, but we need a revised simplified strategy to
ensure RDP eligibility and time to deliver it.
• A Strategy with 3 elements:
– A regional Food Trade Desk
– A Town of Food in rural Kilkenny
– A decentralised regional School of Artisan Food
• Driven by a Food Strategy Coordinator
• Appointment of consultants to develop the Trade Desk
concept in late-March 2013
• Commitment on initiating funding on all elements by end 1st
Quarter 2013

21. Town of Food
• The ‘Town of Food’ competition is key part
of KLP’s comprehensive food development
strategy ‘Growing a Local Food Economy’.
• Food culture being the inter-connectedness
between enterprise and community that
leads to a mutually-reinforcing and
sustainable food economy.
• KLP has invited the larger towns and
villages of the county to apply to become
the centre of “food culture” in the county.
• Closing date for applications- 25th March!
• 5 entries to be judged in early April

22. Vulcan- Wood Energy Project
• Vulcan is regional project focused on the creation of five
independent and sustainable wood-fuel supply businesses owned
by the existing forestry owners of the South East region.
• Each company will be provided with staffing, operational,
marketing training and capital supports to set up the business
• The 3-year project (started 2012) has a ‘sun-set funding’ profile to
encourage sustainability from the outset.
• Vulcan is specifically targeting smaller farmer/ forestry owners.
• The project is supported by Danone Ireland, Danone’s Ecosystem
Trust and five LEADER companies of the region.
• In each county, it will require the agreement of the local LEADER
company to co-fund the project for it to access Vulcan funds.

23. Vulcan Progress
• Vulcan has a total budget of almost €1.5 million from Danone
and LEADER company sources.
• Danone Ireland in Wexford have installed a wood-chip boiler
and have agreed to offer a contract for 8,000 oven-dried-tonnes
of wood fuel between the 5 forestry-owner businesses.
• New companies have been established in Kilkenny and Wexford
already with Managers and office bases.
• In January 2013 Laois stakeholders have agreed to join Vulcan.
• Negotiations have occurred with stakeholders in 3 other
counties and Vulcan is confident of getting the 2 additional
companies needed to complete the target of 5.

24. Vulcan’s ‘Priority Example’
• The ‘local initiatives’ are usually
compliant with multiple KLP targets.
• The project fits under KLP’s LEADER
renewable energy priority sector.
• As most of the forestry owners are
active farmers- Vulcan also
addresses KLP’s LEADER focus on
farm diversification.
• The Vulcan target of 30% of its
beneficiaries being lower-income
famers also meets KLP’s LCDP
targets.

25. Themes and Principles
• All the local initiatives have a number of obvious themes and
principles that link them:
– SWOT focus- based on the specific strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats of the Kilkenny region
– Community-based- building on the capacity of the business
and other communities of Kilkenny
– Connections & Linkages- with other programmes, etc.
– Sustainability- financially & structurally
– Strategic Reach & Effect- not just localised benefits
– Integration- of various funding streams and with other KLP
projects
– Connected Strategies for Sustainable Communities

26. Thank You
Any questions?