Innovative Skills Course That Helped Gort Get Remote Work Ready

With a government strategy in the works that aims to make remote working a 'permanent option for life after COVID-19,' it's fair to say that remote working will continue to have an important part to play in the sustainability of our rural communities. 

It's estimated that there are currently 55,000 remote jobs available in the European timezone, according to Grow Remote co-founder Tracy Keogh. This means that there's a vast range of technical and non-technical roles up for grabs with a variety of world-renowned companies — if you only know where to look, and how to get a foot in.

 

Burren Lowlands is a community initiative that aims to promote everything about the Burren Lowland region. This week, we caught up with Laura Tannian, Enterprise Development Manager for the Burren Lowlands organisation and Manager of Forge Works Enterprise Centre, to find out more about remote working opportunities in Gort.

Even before the pandemic, Gort (the Burren Lowland region's largest town) had a high unemployment rate. Remote work was always going to be a huge part of the town's economic revival, and Laura was determined to improve access to this kind of work for Burren Lowland residents.

The Cutting-Edge Remote Working Skills Course

One of the most successful initiatives run by the centre so far has been the Remote Working Skills course that Laura facilitated last spring. She's a chapter leader for Grow Remote, a non-profit that helps people upskill and find remote work in Ireland and beyond. 

The Remote Working Skills course, which used digital technology and interpersonal interaction to prepare individuals for remote employment, was created by Laois-Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB), in collaboration with IDA Ireland, SOLAS, and Grow Remote. Forge Works was the first enterprise centre to offer it free to all area residents, with no means test.

Funding was provided by Rethink Ireland following a successful application for their Innovate Together grant. Beginning on 15th March 2021, the course ran for 8 weeks. 

Regarding the course content, Laura points out that many people already have the transferable skills needed for remote positions, but not the technological know-how. Much of the course involved helping participants get familiar with the various technologies and communication tools used by remote companies today, as well as giving them advice on how to update their CVs, how to find and apply for remote jobs, how to get around the applicant tracking system (software that reads and filters out your CV), and how to network using platforms like LinkedIn.  

Being able to demonstrate the know-how of team communication tools like Slack or Notion is important when applying for remote work

What's next?

'I'd love to run this in the schools, for the TY students,' Laura says. 'These days, most people pick their college course based on what job they can get at the end of it. So if we can get into the schools early, and show them what kind of (remote) jobs are out there, it might influence what kind of college course they do.' 

The idea is that graduates could find work in a sector they enjoy, and are qualified for, without having to leave Gort in search of a job.

But remote work isn't just for students, it's for everyone really: those returning to the jobs market after several years, those looking for a career or lifestyle change, and for those who were recently made redundant. As Laura remarks, 'On the course we had people who were managers, teachers, mums who were returning to work... our youngest participant was a lad who was just doing his Leaving Cert this year.' 

Remote working skills and facilities could help graduates find work in their hometowns

Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with participant Toni O'Donovan commenting 'I learned so much and thoroughly enjoyed the course. I highly recommend the Grow Remote course and thanks to Laura Tannian at Forge Works for facilitating this course in Gort.' Another participant, Theresa O'Toole, added 'Thanks so much for the chance to complete the course, learned so much, highly recommend it!

We can only hope to see more enterprise centres like Forge Works appear over the coming years. Places like these are important community hubs and an invaluable resource to those who intend to enter the remote work jobs market, as well as key in preparing this generation — and the next — for a digital working revolution.  

For more information on upcoming courses and the Forge Works centre, go to their website. The Xplore Gort app was also launched recently - if you want to stay up-to-date with everything that's going on in Gort, download via the links below this article!