This article is from page 15 of the 2007-07-03 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 15 JPG
THE number of people living in Clare who have a third level degree has risen by almost one third in the last five years.
The figures were revealed in latest results from the 2006 Census which show that the number of people in Clare with a third level degree or higher has risen dramatically by 30 per cent since 2002.
This means that 16 per cent of all adults in the county have at least a primary degree, which is the same as the national average.
“Tt is really encouraging to see that Clare is retaining its well educated and increasing the knowledge base of the region,’ says Western Devel- opment Commission (WDC) Chief Executive, Gillian Buckley.
“Attracting and retaining well edu- cated people is the key to the west’s future in the knowledge economy. We know from the population trends and our LookWest.ie campaign that well qualified people want to stay in, or return to, Clare. The latest Census results confirm this,” she added.
The Census information also showed that the numbers in mana- gerial and professional jobs in the county have risen by 13 per cent while those categorised as unskilled
have fallen by 18 per cent.
“At the WDC we have set it as a priority to make prospective employ- ers aware of the skills pool available in the region. The next phase of our LookWest.ie campaign will specifi- cally target businesses to highlight the numbers of skilled and educated people who want to live and work in the west,” said Ms Buckley.
Commenting on the Census results regarding internet access, Ms Buck- ley continued, “It’s clear that Clare fares badly in terms of broadband. Just under 30 per cent of those with internet access had a broadband con- nection compared with the national average of 43 per cent. Widespread affordable, high-speed internet ac- cess 1s critical to Clare’s future in the knowledge economy and must be a national priority.”
Figures also revealed that 85 per cent of households in Clare have at least one car compared to the nation- al average of 80 per cent.
Ms Buckley said that this “points to the need to continue to invest in road infrastructure across the county but also underlines the importance of public transport provision, particu- JENe Weve meceyeebeslll(osmpKeleiKonwe
The 2006 Census was conducted across Clare and nationwide on April PRM MES Misr: