Wurkhouse to create 30 digital jobs in Derry

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Wurkhouse to create 30 digital jobs in Derry

Alastair Hamilton (right), Invest NI, is pictured with Troy Armour, Wurkhouse.

Alastair Hamilton (right), Invest NI, is pictured with Troy Armour, Wurkhouse.


Londonderry based technology firm Wurkhouse is to create 30 digital marketing jobs as part of ambitious expansion plans to help it grow its export sales. Wurkhouse provides innovative marketing solutions to a wide range of clients based both locally and outside of Northern Ireland.

Welcoming the investment, Invest Northern Ireland’s Chief Executive, Alastair Hamilton said: “Wurkhouse is a young and innovative business with high growth potential. The 30 jobs being created will contribute over £780,000 in additional annual salaries to the economy and offer excellent employment opportunities in the local area.

“The Creative Industries sector has been identified in Derry City & Strabane District Council’s Strategic Growth Plan as a priority sector for future economic growth and prosperity. Wurkhouse is a great example of a successful firm that is making a valuable contribution to that plan and providing local job opportunities for the talented workforce in the North West.

“We are delighted to support Wurkhouse in the next stage of its journey and to ensure it has the skills and knowledge necessary to exploit the substantial export opportunities it has identified, particularly in the GB and RoI markets.”

The new roles will include a range of designers, web developers, SEO and social media roles and will increase the company’s employment to 49 staff over the next three years.

In 2015, Wurkhouse received assistance from Invest NI of £24,000 to help with developing its design team.

Troy Armour, CEO of Wurkhouse said: “We are focused on becoming the leading digital agency in Northern Ireland through our export driven growth strategy. The advice and support we have received from Invest NI is helping us to scale quickly and has been vital to our ongoing growth and development.

“We play an integral role in the success of many of our clients and we believe that this success comes from our experienced staff and in-depth knowledge of the digital sector. We are confident that the North West region has the skills base we need to enhance our team, which will help us to achieve our ambitious plans for growth over the next three years and beyond.

“These jobs are for what we call ‘Creative Intelligents’. We seek two core attributes when hiring; intelligence and passion so we are looking for people with intelligence, who have a passion for what they do. This helps us deliver smart solutions for our clients and their passion is carried over into the delivery. It is like that old adage – cooking with love just makes the food taste better.”

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Strabane manufacturer to hire 83 staff in ambitious £7m expansion

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A STRABANE-based manufacturer is set to double its workforce in an ambitious £7 million expansion.

Strabane-based Fabplus has announced it is planning to more than double its workforce and turnover. Darren McGavigan (left), Fabplus is pictured with Alastair Hamilton and Des Gartland, Invest NI

Strabane-based Fabplus has announced it is planning to more than double its workforce and turnover. Darren McGavigan (left), Fabplus is pictured with Alastair Hamilton and Des Gartland, Invest NI


Fabplus, which provides provides prefabricated pipework for use in fire sprinkler systems, is set to create 83 new jobs as part of a three-year plan to increase business both at home and abroad.

Recruitment is already underway to fill the new positions, which include management and production staff and the roles, set to be in place by 2019, will generate £1.7million annually in additional salaries, bring total employment at the firm to 138 people.

The major investment further includes expansion of the firm’s factory space storage and R&D facilities on Orchard Road as well as the development of an in-house powder coating and pipe optimisation capability and implementation of a staff training plan.

Fablus director Darren McGavigan said the ambitious expansion plan is being carried out with a view to competing in the global market.

“Extending the factory by 48,000 sq ft will increase our production capacity and improve factory workflow. Adding breadth and depth to the management team will also introduce additional expertise into the business while implementing our innovative new processes will consolidate our market leading position with new and existing customers.”

Invest NI has offered £786,000 towards the expansion, including £187,590 of R&D support, part funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

Invest NI chief executive Alastair Hamilton said the latest investment from Fabplus is a “significant boost” to the construction sector.

“Fabplus is an established family business in Strabane which has experienced considerable growth over the last five years. The company has been working in partnership with Invest NI during this time and developed a strong competitive advantage in the UK marketplace.”

“Fabplus wants to take advantage of growth opportunities in mainland Europe and Scandinavia and is utilising our help and expertise to invest in the resources, capabilities, training and R&D needed to help achieve its objective,” Mr Hamilton added.

The family business is a subsidiary of Mechanical Pipework Fabrication Limited (MPF), based in Lifford in the Republic of Ireland. Its equipment is installed in power stations, warehouses, retail buildings, hospitals, stadiums, apartment blocks and factories throughout Britain and the island of Ireland.

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North West’s first ever Welding Academy Launched

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North West’s first ever Welding Academy Launched

Students attending North West Regional College’s Welding Academy, pictured with college staff and prospective employers.

Students attending North West Regional College’s Welding Academy, pictured with college staff and prospective employers.

A new academy has been launched by North West Regional College (NWRC) to tackle the chronic shortage of skilled welders in Northern Ireland. Run in partnership with Derry City and Strabane District Council, the new Fabrication and Welding Academy, which currently has 15 students, is a first for the North West and aims to address the challenges faced by employers in accessing skilled welders locally.

Nicola Curry, NWRC, explained that the Business Support Centre at the College engages with local businesses to enhance the skill levels of the existing workforce and encourage innovation.She said: “It became apparent from a number of discussions with local engineering companies, that there was a clear shortage of new welding talent coming through the education system. “The proposed academy will provide a short-term sustainable solution to support the immediate skills shortages, currently experienced in the North West, with regard to accessing skilled talent in Fabrication and Welding.”

George Fleming from Fleming Agri is one local employer who has found recruiting skilled welders challenging. He said: “I welcome the launch of this academy today which will ensure that local companies can access skilled welders locally. There has been a long tradition of engineering manufacturing in the North West with good growth and development in recent years from local indigenous companies creating a strong demand for welding and fabrication skills in the region. We are delighted with the NWRC support for this skills demand and the support from the DSDC.”

The aim of the academy is to encourage greater collaboration between education and industry and to provide a sustainable solution to the skills shortages constraining the growth of the engineering and manufacturing sectors in the region. The first students of the Fabrication and Welding Academy will take part in a 12 week intensive Level 2 City and Guilds programme which will include four weeks of paid placement. Placements will be with local employers Fleming Agri, Global Equipment Spares, Mim-Ni, Fabplus Limited, Foyle Port and GB Engineering. It’s anticipated that on completion of the programme successful participants of the Fabrication and Welding Academy will have the opportunity to be interviewed for live employment opportunities locally. North West Regional College also run short courses in Mig and Tig welding on a part time basis from their Springtown and Greystone campuses.

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MAYOR WELCOMES CHINESE (DALIAN) DELEGATION TO DERRY

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CIVIC and political representatives gathered in the Guildhall at the weekend to welcome Chinese Provincial and Municipal leaders as part of the delegation visiting N. Ireland for the UK-China Regional Leaders’ Summit.

CIVIC and political representatives gathered in the Guildhall at the weekend to welcome Chinese Provincial and Municipal leaders as part of the delegation visiting N. Ireland for the UK-China Regional Leaders’ Summit.

CIVIC and political representatives gathered in the Guildhall at the weekend to welcome Chinese Provincial and Municipal leaders as part of the delegation visiting N. Ireland for the UK-China Regional Leaders’ Summit.
The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District, Councillor Maolíosa McHugh, hosted a special reception for the five members of the delegation representing the City of Dalian, led by Vice-Mayor Lu Lin.

The trip was organised by the NI Executive Bureau in Beijing as part of the UK-China Regional Leaders’ Summit.

Local MP Elisha McCallion, joined the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and local party leaders in welcoming the delegates, and discussions centred on building links between the two cities and the many mutual benefits of a future partnership.

They were later joined by leading figures in local business and education, who had the opportunity to speak to delegates about the shared interests of the two areas and the North West’s attractive proposition as a base for global business.

The delegation have been enjoying the local hospitality during their three day visit to the region, which took them first to Belfast, before they arrived in the city on Sunday.

The Mayor extended a warm welcome to the group, and spoke of the strengthening relations between the two countries. “It’s an honour to host members of the Regional Leaders’ Summit here today as part of this prestigious event,” he stressed.

“This visit is testament to the ongoing efforts of our local politicians and business leaders to establish meaningful links with China.

“Council is committed to the forging and strengthening of international relations, and as our regional profile grows, we can look towards international markets for the opportunities for trade and investment which will galvanise our position in terms of global business.”

Based in North East China, the city of Dalian is a global financial centre with a population of over 6.5million.

The city specialises in the Financial and IT sectors, and is home to some of the major players in these industries including Oracle, IBM and CISCO. Local political and civic leaders heard more about their developments in the software industry, bio-medicine, digitalisation, marine engineering and advanced manufacturing.

During the visit Council’s Chief Executive John Kelpie gave the visitors an insight into the ambitious plans for growth for the NW as outlined in the recently published Strategic Growth Plan for Derry and Strabane.

The delegation heard about the City and District’s plans to enhance infrastructure, invest in jobs and skills and create the ideal environment for global investors to do business.

“We have been working to establish strong international links with locations such as Boston Massachusetts, Philadelphia, and the City of London and now we are turning our attentions to the East as part of our outreach to foreign direct investors,” Mr Kelpie explained after the meeting.

“The City is fast becoming a learning hub, and as our academic institutions at Ulster University and North West Regional College continue to forge ahead with plans for growth, we have much to offer in terms of education and skills.

“Coupled with our focus on entrepreneurship and our growing expertise in areas such as the digital and advanced manufacturing industries, we have many common interests which can form the basis of a strong, mutually beneficial relationship with the city of Dalian.”

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