A US multinational will open a European telesales centre in Galway, creating 60 jobs over four years. Ionics, which makes bottled water and systems that treat water for industrial and domestic use, will establish a telemarketing and training centre at Ballybane in Galway city.

Making the announcement yesterday, the Minister of State for Enterprise and Employment, Mr Noel Treacy, said the jobs would be in marketing, technical support and administration and would provide high-quality employment for people across a range of qualifications, particularly those skilled in European languages.

The principal reason for selecting Galway was the availability of people with European languages, particularly French and Spanish, Mr Treacy said, a fact which underlined the Government's decision to spend an extra £75 million (€95 million) on education.

"Other factors in the selection of Galway were the influence exerted by Mr Joe Guthrie, the recently recruited general manager of the new centre, who is a native of nearby Ballyvaughan, Co Clare, and Ionics' wish for an attractive location for its visiting salespeople and dealers," Mr Treacy added.

Ionics is a leading player in several segments of the water business, including desalinisation, disinfection, ultrapure water and water monitoring. The company said yesterday the Galway centre would be an integral part of its strategy to expand its European business by selling water purification systems directly to domestic customers, and to capitalise on the demand for clean water.

The company said recruitment for the new operation, which is backed by IDA Ireland, was already under way.

Ionics, based in Watertown, Massachusetts, was founded in 1948 and employs 2,200 people worldwide. In 1998 it had revenues of $351 million (£257 million); net profits fell 25 per cent on the previous year to $21 million (£15.4 million).