Irish PM hopes Ireland becomes an education nation

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny said on Wednesday that he hoped Ireland would become a nation strong in education.

"As we approach 2016, I want Ireland to be an education nation," Kenny said at an emerging business media event here.

At the event, Squarespace and five other North American high-growth companies announced they were creating 320 new jobs in Ireland.

"Superfast broadband is already in place for all post-primary schools and we intend to do the same for all our primary schools. Our smart classrooms will become the launch pad of our sustainable smart economy into the future," he said.

Kenny said these 320 jobs were a big boost to Ireland's technology scene and were a testament to the country's talent pool.

These companies join the ranks of Ireland's thriving software sector, he said.

Ireland is already home to over 900 software companies, including both multinational and home-grown firms, employing 24,000 people and generating some 16 billion euros worth (17.4 billion U.S. dollars) of exports annually.

Kenny said Ireland was achieving a large increase in graduate output from university level information and communication technology courses.

"If we are to continue to attract the type of investment like that being announced today, we need to ensure that the skills are here in Ireland to allow companies to grow further," he said.

In response to the rapidly developing cloud sector, Irish educational institutions have developed cloud computing masters degrees which are being offered throughout Ireland, according to the prime minister.

These courses have been created in association with industry partners, such as EMC, HP and IBM, he said. Endit