US-headquartered testing company Prometric is to create 40 new jobs in Dundalk as part of a €2.5 million investment in Co Louth.
It will also invest almost €1 million in a research partnership with Dublin City University (DCU).
The 40 jobs will diversify and expand the company’s operation, adding finance and customer service functions to Prometric’s test development, technology, operations and human resources teams.
The Dundalk expansion includes €550,000 in capital expenditure and €2 million in workforce investment. When all hiring is complete, Prometric expects to have 168 employees in Ireland.
IDA chief executive Martin Shanahan said the Dundalk centre has the sole responsibility for delivering Prometric's business services to its European customers.
“It is encouraging to see the company complementing its Irish operation by investing in research in partnership with DCU. The tests that will be developed there have the potential to create even more jobs in Dundalk,” he added.
The company will invest almost €1 million with DCU, with the money being used to establish DCU’s Centre for Assessment Research in Education (CARE), and develop test types that can better assess the preparedness of Irish students at all levels of education.
DCU president Brian MacCraith said a major systemic difficulty in Ireland has been the lack of any centre of expertise in assessment.
“Our partnership with Prometric will allow DCU to establish a national resource to conduct research and develop best practice in education and job skills assessment, potentially having a transformative impact on the quality of teaching, learning and jobs growth for generations to come.”
Prometric has invested more than €75 million in Ireland over the 10 years it has been in operation here. It has delivered more than 1.5 million tests for clients, including the Road Safety Authority, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, the Chartered Accountants Ireland and the Medical Council.
