Food hub jobs boost at Navan centre

Up to 100 paid internship jobs are to be created at Navan Enterprise Centre over the next three years as the centre enters into an initiative with the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) and Epicom Ireland Ltd, which already employs 70 people at its facility in the centre. This new jobs boost comes on top of the 30 additional jobs, which will be created by the food company Epicom Ltd when its new extension at the centre is completed later this year. It is part of a new plan to establish a major new food hub centred on Navan which is designed to become a key new centre for food innovation and research in the region. The Navan Food Innovation and Research Centre's internship programme is a collaborative work placement initiative between the Meath County Enterprise Board, Meath County Council, Navan Enterprise Centre, Epicom Ireland and DIT. Funding provided by Meath County Enterprise Board for the initiative will be matched by the Meath County Council and Navan Enterprise Centre and will lead to the hub becoming self-sustaining within three years. The programme will provide relevant industry-recognised training and work experience to 33 students and graduates each year for three years. The students and graduates, who will be working in a dedicated research space within a new Food Hub at the Navan Enterprise Centre, will work closely with Epicom Ireland and new food start-ups in the region in accessing distribution markets, developing new food products and establishing Navan as a key national hub for food innovation and research and forging relationships with food companies around the area.