Ireland's Specialists in the implementation and management of remote working...........

The company was established by Joe McCormack in 1996 and specialises in the development of innovative training programmes in a variety of subject matter areas. McCormack Associates has particular expertise and experience in the area of mentoring small businesses in e-business techniques and business development and the use of remote working techniques, telecommunications especially ADSL, internet applications as tools for competitive advantage.

The company was the programme co-ordinator for Telework Ireland's EU ADAPT sponsored programme "Telework Development and Support Systems for Micro Enterprises" which ran from 1997 to 1999. This programme trained one hundred and twenty people throughout Ireland as software localisation quality assurance test engineers. The training took place remotely and was delivered over the Internet and on CD-ROM. Some trainees are in the process of forming their own subcontracting co-ops using the knowledge gained in the business startup modules associated with the course..

In late 2000, McCormack Associates, in association with FÁS (The Irish National Training Body), Hewlett Packard (IRL), NACCO (Hyster) and other partners in partners from the UK, Ireland, Norway, Austria and the Netherlands began work on "Transnational Model for Flexible Industrial Vocational Training " which is funded under the EU Leonardo da Vinci programme. Full details are available on www.mofit.net. This programme has now been sucessfully concluded.

More recently, the company has developed and is the course of delivering the BEST project which is funded by Belfast City Council in association with three of Belfast's key local Enterprise Development agencies. This project is intended to exploit known skills shortages and the deficit of sub contracting capacity within the software testing sector of the ICT industry. The project involves training 60 local people to a high level of IT literacy (ECDL, HTML, database management, e-commerce tools, Windows NT and operating platform skills) and to a competent level in software testing quality assurance skills over a period of 26 weeks. The training takes place in Belfast but is delivered over an existing distance learning platform provided by FÁS with local tutorial support.

Concurrently with the formal ICT training, trainees are encouraged to develop a business (es) plan for a sustainable ICT services subcontracting business. To enable this, experienced mentors will ensure that throughout the training period, trainees will be aware of the potential values of the skills being acquired and encourage their participation and sense of empowerment and vested interest in the success of the business. Mentors will also offer advice on the development of marketing resources, financial planning, the establishment of quality management processes (ISO9002), general management and ICT/telecommunications resource administration. Project management training in the specific needs of the ICT sector will also be included.

McCormack Associates is also involved in the development of Townsend Enterprise Park which was established in 1986 as a means of creating new opportunities, stretching the imagination and promoting peace and reconciliation within the local communities in the Lower Falls and Lower Shankill. Since then, the Company has steadily expanded and matured to gain it's accreditation as one of the most successful and highly regarded Local Enterprise Agencies in Northern Ireland.

As a founder director of this successful voluntary company, Joe McCormack has experienced the problems facing small businesses at first hand. Having served as Chair, Company Secretary and current as Finance Director, his awareness of the challenges and opportunities facing SMEs is very highly developed. Throughout the last ten years, the Park has been identified by Government agencies as a model of best practice and is frequently used by Government and the International Fund for Ireland as a venue to illustrate successful small business initiatives to visiting dignitaries. Please see www.Townsend.co.uk for further information.

The company continues to work in the area of business training and is actively involved in the delivery of training and mentoring to participants in the Northern Ireland Business Startup Programme which is aimed at encouraging small business startups. As an acredited trainer operating on behalf of InvestNI (formerly LEDU) and EnetrpriseNI, Joe provides support across a range of business disciplines including skills needs analysis, marketing, finance, business plan development and e-work implememtation.

As a member of the Irish Government's e-work Action Forum, Joe was also involved in the development of a national training programme which is aimed at developing the skills sets necessary for people to work remotely from their employer. This work is being carried out in association with FÁS, Department of Enterprise,Trade and Employment and Enterprise Ireland and the course will be delivered using a blend of delivery systems including workshops and on-line resources.

Training services are also provided to the University of Ulster's Community Leadership Programme which is designed to address the needs of community groups who wish to develop their local communities in a variety of ways. Training has been delivered to groups throughout Northern Ireland and Donegal on a variety of subject areas such as capacity building, ideas generation, working together and the use of ICT as a development tool.

In 2001, McCormack Associates was involved in devising, building and delivering a telework busines development training programme for Cavan/Monaghan Leader Programme. This ran for eight weekends at Maudebawn in Co Cavan and resulted in four new business enterprises being established. The trainee attrition rate was less than 5% and in early 2002, Full details are available from http://www.townsend.co.uk/Training/Ebiz/

McCormack Associates was again involved in another highly successful derivation of this same programme which was delivered in Glenamaddy Co Galway in February 2002. Again, the trainee attrition rate was extremely low with an equally high response and impact rating awarded by the trainees, Glenamaddy Development Company and Galway Rural Development. Discussions are also continuing with two other rural development groups concerning possible delivery of this popular, innovative and effective course