Graduates and long-term unemployed to take 25% of water metering jobs

on 25/02/2013 07:07:39

At least a quarter of the 1,600 jobs created by Irish Water's domestic water metering programme will be filled by graduates, the long-term unemployed and people from small, local businesses.

The metering programme starts in July and will run until September 2016, during which time more than one million meters will be installed in homes across the country.

The Minister for the Environment, Phil Hogan said the metering programme is an ambitious plan, even by international standards, and training will be provided for installation crews.

Mr hogan said: "This is one of the most important and biggest national infrastructure programmes ever undertaken by the State and it will require a lot of training.

"We need to deliver as many local crews as we possibly can on the ground to develop a world-class, national water infrastructure, so obviously a lot of training will be required."