Two innovations aimed at tackling the labour shortage in Dublin have shared joint first prize in the inaugural AIB Keep Dublin Working Awards.
The joint winners of Best Existing Initiative were Nixers.com and the Fasttrack to IT (FIT) scheme. Each company received £2,500.
Nixers.com is an Internet-based recruitment company set up by three Trinity graduates - Mr Marco Herbst, Mr Leigh Hamilton and Mr Glenn Cummings. The company specialises in targeting retired people, students and housewives for short-term, temporary employment with blue-chip and US software companies.
"It's a great endorsement and we're really delighted to get the recognition because we always felt we had something innovative," said Mr Herbst of Nixers.com on receiving the award. "The genesis of the idea was actually very selfish. When I left university, I didn't want to work nine to five. But it wasn't easy to do that. So we saw the opportunity to offer a service to people who can't work nine to five or who don't want to."
The company also provides tax, PRSI and financial advice to part-time workers.
"We act as a human resources department for people who don't have a human resources department," said Mr Herbst.
The FIT scheme trains unemployed and unskilled people to fill positions in information technology firms in Dublin. Targeting the long-term unemployed, the objective of FIT is to address the skills shortage in the IT industry by developing and delivering a number of industry-led IT training programmes.
"The acknowledgement is appreciated," said Ms Aisling Wright, company liaison officer with FIT. "We feel the idea has been vindicated because over 200 people who otherwise wouldn't have been working are now employed in IT."
Winners of Best Emerging Initiative were Global Visas, a visa processing company set up by a New Zealander which deals with the task of getting a working visa for Ireland, and Job Rotation, which is a system whereby unemployed or low-skilled workers are trained in various skills. These people can then improve their skills to fill other vacancies.
Two special commendations for new ideas were also awarded. The first went to Bee2bee childcare, which aims to create a childcare network to support working women with families, particularly in the IT industry. The second project, Shared Childcare Facilities, suggests the co-operation of several companies based in the same area to set up a jointly owned and managed childcare facility.
The AIB Keep Dublin Working Awards were established jointly with Dublin Chamber of Commerce in May in an effort to explore innovative ideas that would help alleviate the current staff shortages facing many Dublin businesses.
