A move to help hundreds of former Fruit of the Loom workers find new jobs is to be launched in the new year.
The Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Dr McDaid, has asked CERT, the training agency for the tourism and catering trade, to operate special courses for Fruit of the Loom employees who may be prepared to enter this sector. The courses will be paid for by the State.
Next month CERT representatives will visit Fruit of the Loom factories to outline to workers the opportunities arising from the courses.
It is estimated that the tourism and catering industry has an overall jobs shortage of 3,500, with about 1,000 of these vacancies in the northwest.