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Waterford, Ireland
Waterford is a port city on the River Suir in south-east Ireland.
groups
City population
66,500
person
Member since
2024
Mayor
Mayor of Waterford City and County Council Mr John O’Leary
Vision
Waterford’s vision emphasizes empowering individuals and communities with robust educational opportunities. By 2030, the city aims to increase lifelong learning participation rates to 20 per cent, focusing on high-quality education, training and upskilling that resonates with its commitment to becoming an inclusive, innovative and entrepreneurial city. Through its endeavours, Waterford aims to improve its educational attainment levels and foster a skilled, future-ready citizenry.
I want to commend the great collaboration between local authorities, education providers and the Chamber of Commerce in making this commitment for Waterford to become a living, learning city for all.
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Mayor of Waterford City and County Council Mr John O’Leary
Mayor of Waterford
Policies, plan and implementation
Sustainability and health
Waterford’s Learning City strategy emphasizes sustainability, health and well-being. Initiatives include a Community Climate Action programme, declaring a Decarbonization Zone and promoting the Healthy Waterford initiative. Additionally, South East Technological University (SETU) is integrating sustainability across its programmes, with the National NZEB Training Centre leading the way in energy-efficient training in Europe.
Equity and inclusion
Waterford’s Learning City strategy will focus on educational opportunities and inclusion, targeting low educational attainment levels. Initiatives include promoting gender equality through Waterford Libraries, SETU’s plans to deepen the integration of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and specific events focusing on diversity, like the Global Women’s Conference and Adult Literacy for Life strategy.
Decent work and entrepreneurship
Waterford’s Metropolitan Area Spatial Plan champions enterprise through enhanced research at SETU, as well as robust entrepreneurial support mechanisms. Key initiatives include SETU’s ArcLabs innovation centre, a forthcoming University Enterprise Quarter, the Chamber’s Regional Leaders programme, and Waterford and Wexford Training Services’ upskilling programme, all emphasizing entrepreneurial development and support.
Good practices
CALMAST Southeast Engineering Festival
CALMAST is an outreach Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education centre. It is based at SETU and supports STEM education throughout the city, across the region and nationally. The centre focuses on STEM education for young people.
Music Generation Waterford
As part of Ireland’s national Music Generation programme cofunded by U2 and others, the initiative offers transformative music education to Waterford’s youth. It empowers them to create and perform music in their communities, ensuring inclusivity regardless of background.
Waterford Chamber Skillnet Graduate Accelerator Programme
This programme develops soft skills for recent graduates. Waterford City and County Council backs the Junior Achievement Ireland programme, equipping young people with essential work skills and fostering collaboration between young people, schools and businesses for a sustainable future.