Westmeath County Council Cathaoirleach, Cllr Frankie Keena, has welcomed the enhancement of research and development employee numbers upon the company’s jobs announcement on Monday morning of this week.
“This recent jobs announcement will bring the total workforce on the Athlone campus to approximately 1450 personnel, an expansion which reaffirms Athlone as a centre of excellence in the ICT sector and cloud technology.
“We are so fortunate to have a strong cluster of ICT companies based in Athlone and the wider Midlands region. The fantastic support of IDA Ireland and the presence of TUS within Athlone are all major contributing factors for such expansion.
“Over the years Ericsson has continued to link in with the post primary school sectors in Athlone encouraging students to partake in STEM subjects and to focus on ICT as a career. It is truly fabulous to see this close link between industry and education.
“Ericsson has a long established presence in Athlone and over the decades it has contributed enormously to the economy of the town and Midlands region and on a personal level I am grateful to say that my first job was with the former LM Ericsson, a role for which I was most appreciative.
“I wish to express my gratitude to Ericsson for their continued commitment to the further expansion of the Athlone campus and wish the company and all staff every success in the future,” Cllr Keena concluded.