As the Member of Parliament for North Down, I pledge to make my term one of service for all, focusing on developing the educational and economic base of North Down.
Speakng today Alex Easton said:
During my time as a councillor, MLA and now as your MP, the importance of bringing community, education and economic investment to North Down has become more and more important. Situated near to Belfast, with rail links and airport facilities to service the area, It seemed to me that not enough energy, vision or action was being employed to sell the potential of the assets of North Down, in pursuance of the strategic plan to attract investment and job creation or preparing for advanced employment opportunities for our families and children.
Over the last 18 months I have enthusiastically pursued a very real opportunity which will be situated in North Down and will invest upwards of £100 million in redevelopment. This opportunity would attract hundreds of jobs in the Cyber, Tech and advanced manufacturing disciplines. The project will see the implementation of a Cyber training facility and hub, and an advanced manufacturing facility for training and apprenticeships. The offering will focus on skilling and upskilling a wide spectrum of people into these jobs and create a platform for foreign direct investment.
In discussions with Cyberspark group NI Ltd, I was impressed by the preparedness of the project and its global reach and their desire to work closely with the community in delivering opportunities not only in job creation but in economic benefit. Having served in the political forum for decades it was obvious to me that new thinking needed to be employed regarding private investment and local authority, achieving maximum potential for North Down.
We currently lose 4 in 10 young people and a wealth of potential from our shores every year, (according to a Belfast telegraph report of 19th June 2023). I think that it is something that must be addressed, the creation of jobs that retain our young talent and gives the potential of future careers is very important. The tech industry is burgeoning and the rapid growth in job numbers have created a vacuum, this is very inviting to our young people and creating a platform to upskill people from all backgrounds is something we must attend to. My intention is to enthusiastically pursue this opportunity and bring that to North Down for the benefit of all.
I will be speaking to Ards and North Down Borough Council local authorities and senior civil servants regarding the creative and innovative approach by this opportunity at hand and how we can make this a very real project, this will be an opportunity for our people to gain employment in Northern Ireland, and tracks a great path to economic prosperity not just in North Down but Northern Ireland in general.
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