Fine Gael Spokesperson on Innovation & Research, Deirdre Clune TD, believes there are lessons to be learned from today’s positive jobs announcement from Eli Lily that they will create 100 jobs in Cork.

Today’s announcement by Eli Lily that it will recruit 100 people for jobs in its financial services centre in Cork is welcome news on the jobs front at a time when we desperately need such positive news.

Eli Lily is a pharmaceutical company with a proven track record in the Cork region and today’s announcement is a further underpinning of its investment in Ireland.

The message from this jobs announcement is that a skilled and well educated workforce with language skills is a major advantage when seeking to attract investment and jobs.

Our third level education sector must be supported as we endeavour to attract foreign direct investment from companies such as Eli Lily and grow Irish firms in the sector.

Today’s announcement is cast against the backdrop of recent Live Register figures which revealed that in Ireland the number of people on the live register has more than doubled in the last two years.

If the Government learns the lessons from today’s announcement then we may start to reverse this trend.