Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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67. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if training and financial support for businesses setting up online to meet the support needs arising from the growth of e-commerce will be provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5962/18]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) are the first-stop-shop front line service assisting in delivering business growth and jobs for the small & micro-enterprise sector. The LEOs are the first port of call for anyone who wishes to start or expand a business, in terms of advice, training, sign posting to other support providers and, in certain circumstances, grant support. The LEOs undertake a number of activities to encourage businesses to build their online presence and compete in the online market place.

The LEOs nationwide actively promote the Trading Online Voucher Scheme (TOVS) on behalf of the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. The TOVS offers matched financial assistance of up to €2,500, along with training and advice, to micro companies (10 or less employees) who want to establish an online presence for the first time, or who wish to expand a basic existing website to incorporate a more substantive online trading capacity. Since the start of the scheme in July 2014 to date almost 3,000 micro companies have availed of the TOVS.

The LEOs also offer a wide range of short training programmes to support their clients in building their online presence and to compete in the online marketplace. These programmes are focused on different elements which aim at maximising outputs from investment in online trading such as :

- Marketing, focused mainly on development of an online/mobile marketing strategy;

- Social Media, with the majority of programmes focused on educating the client base on how to use the different social media platforms to support their business;

- eCommerce Sales Strategy, including how to convert website visits into sales; and

- Search Engine Optimisation, including web analytics and video optimisation for web.

Enterprise Ireland (EI) works with 5,000 manufacturing and internationally traded services companies, and building an online presence is part of the range of supports offered to those clients. EI has supported projects focused on developing innovative products on new product platforms for international markets. However, EI cannot support companies whose only function is in the area of sales/distribution.

Working closely with the Irish Internet Association, EI delivers a range of funded and advisory eCommerce supports for its clients to develop their online marketing capabilities, for example:

- ‘Marketing Funding Support’: under a Business Process Improvement Grant client companies can apply for grant support to plan and implement significant strategic e-marketing projects.

- ‘Measuring your Internet Marketing Maturity’: to help clients develop an understanding of their web presence and activity.

EI regularly organises events which can connect clients with leading experts and inform them on best practice.  Topics covered include Developing an Online Strategy; Online Localisation for International Markets; Search Engine Optimisation; Pay Per Click Marketing; Branding and Getting the Web Content Right.

EI also offers an Excel @ Export Selling Workshop Series which includes creating a digital marketing strategy. This workshop is aimed at senior management executives with responsibility for selling high value products and services into business-to-business markets.

Finally, one of the key challenges identified by members of the Retail Consultation Forum which I chair is developing digital capacity across the retail sector. As set out in the 2017 Action Plan for Jobs, a pilot scheme to support retailers to scale up their online trading activity and expand into international markets is currently being developed. This initiative is being driven by DBEI, working with members of the Retail Consultation Forum.