Funding of €1.1m has also been provided to support marketing campaigns to attract remote workers to locations across rural Ireland.
The Government has today (21 September) announced that the second phase of the Connected Hubs voucher scheme is now live.
Remote workers and hot-deskers across Ireland can claim three vouchers entitling them to book a place in their local co-working hub for free. As with the first phase of the scheme, these vouchers can only be used by people who set up an account with Connected Hubs, the national network of co-working spaces.
It is free to sign up for an account on the Connected Hubs portal, which provides users with an overview of co-working hubs across Ireland.
The first phase of the voucher scheme ran from June to August. This current phase will run from today until 31 December.
More than 3,300 vouchers were used during the first phase of the voucher scheme, the Government has reported.
Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys, TD, launched the second phase at the National Ploughing Championships.
“Hubs have the potential to make a significant impact on rural communities and our regional towns,” said Humphreys, who was speaking on a panel about remote working at the event in Co Laois.
As well as launching the second phase of the voucher scheme, Humphries revealed that there will be a National Hub Summit held on 24 November in Co Roscommon.
The event will bring together hub managers, representative bodies, State agencies and Government departments to map out the future of the national hub network. Delegates will participate in workshops, breakout sessions and panel discussions at the one-day summit.
“This event will bring together all of the key stakeholders involved in co-working, enterprise, research and development and community hubs around the country to discuss the potential of the national hub network to fundamentally change the way many of us work, live and do business,” said Humphreys.
She also revealed €1.1m has been provided to local authorities through the Town and Village Renewal Scheme this year to support marketing campaigns for attracting remote workers to locations across rural Ireland.
“Funding of up to €50,000 per local authority was available under this measure and I am delighted to see the uptake amongst local authorities, further demonstrating their commitment to growing remote working,” Humphreys said.
For those wondering what kind of experience may await them upon signing up for a slot in their local co-working hub, this piece gives a snapshot of what it is like.
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