The two organisations plan to collaborate on initiatives that will enable more people to work remotely.
While remote working has become the reality for many people in Ireland over the last year, two organisations are now teaming up to make sure the option is accessible to people all around the country in future.
National Broadband Ireland (NBI), the company rolling out the Government’s National Broadband Plan, has announced a partnership with social enterprise Grow Remote.
The two organisations said they plan to collaborate on initiatives that will empower people to work remotely and encourage sustainable community development around the country.
It follows the Government’s pledge to invest in rural regions after the pandemic, with a particular focus on enabling remote working in rural communities. The continued roll-out of high-speed fibre under the National Broadband Plan is a key pillar of this strategy.
NBI connected the first premises in Ireland to this network at the start of this year. The plan is to connect more than 1.1m people across 544,000 homes, businesses, farms and schools where commercial operators do not currently provide high-speed connectivity.
David McCourt, chair of NBI, said that working with Grow Remote could play a role in making sustainable community development happen.
“This partnership is reflective of the collaboration that’s happening across the public, private and voluntary sector,” added Tracy Keogh, co-founder of Grow Remote.
“It’s one that is needed if we are to accurately identify challenges and build solutions that fulfil the potential of rural Ireland.”
Grow Remote is a social enterprise that advocates for better remote working options in Ireland. It believes that by making remote jobs accessible and visible to local communities, it will contribute to the revitalisation of towns and villages across Ireland.
The organisation recently launched an advisory panel, with support from Enterprise Ireland, to help the country realise the full potential of remote working.
Since the onset of the pandemic, many companies have been considering more flexible working policies or long-term remote working arrangements. It is also something that’s on the Government’s agenda.
A recent report from Ireland’s National Competitiveness and Productivity Council found that remote working could both benefit companies and offer a better quality of life for workers in Ireland. However, it warned that investments are needed to make sure regions around Ireland provide attractive places to live and do business.
