JobsFair.ie

THE first 500 of 3,700 new jobs announced by the ESB will be offered to new recruits this year. 

The national electricity supplier yesterday announced a massive employment boost for thousands of workers as part of a €1bn a year investment in new green technologies.

It was applauded for "stepping-up to the plate" to boost the ailing economy but the positions will not be fully in place until 2013.

The jobs, which include installing charging docks for electric vehicles, will be advertised in phases. Predominantly contract positions, they will only last as long as the projects they are involved in, for anything up to 15 years.

Recruits will work in a variety of renewable technologies to reduce CO2 emissions, including smart meters, which enable householders to reduce their energy bills, electric vehicles, wind energy and home insulation. The ESB will also take on hundreds of new engineers and provide training for 800 apprentices, including 400 Fas apprentices who lost their jobs during the slump.

The first 500 new jobs will be created this year, with initial opportunities in the rollout of free energy efficiency surveys for 25,000 households and the installation of insulation in homes. A further 550 workers will be employed in construction, most of them in revamping the old ESB headquarters in Fitzwilliam Street in Dublin.

Chairman Lochlann Quinn described the building yesterday as "old and obsolete" and the move was an opportunity to "enhance the city".

The site attracted controversy when it was first planned in the 1960s, with protesters opposing plans to knock down 16 Georgian houses to facilitate the development. Despite the public outcry, the government granted permission for the modern building to be built and a row of houses, known as Dublin's "Georgian Mile", were demolished.

Chief executive Padraig McManus denied that the 3,700 new jobs were "aspirational" and said he was fully confident they would be created. "The world is moving to smart metering now. This is infrastructure that has to be rolled out and this is just the start."

Mr McManus said job creation must now be a priority for companies who could invest.

"ESB has the will, ability and commitment to take a lead and to invest in viable enterprises and inject energy in to the economy," he said.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen said the jobs announcement was "refreshing" and "a major step in advancing the Government's commitment to Building Ireland's Smart Economy".

He pointed out that the Government's Framework for Economic Renewal, launched in December last year, emphasised the importance of moving away from fossil fuel-based energy production through investment in renewable energy. Energy Minister Eamon Ryan said the announcement was "great news for the economy at this crucial time" and applauded the ESB for "stepping up to the plate" and creating jobs.

Fine Gael spokesperson on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Simon Coveney, welcomed the news but said the Government must harness all opportunities for job creation in this area.

Anne-Marie Walsh, Industry Correspondent