Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Student Enterprise Programme is a national initiative organised by the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs). The Programme aims to foster an enterprise culture among post-primary students in Ireland. It embeds entrepreneurship and encourages students to consider entrepreneurship as a career path in the future. In November I launched the 21st Student Enterprise Programme for 2023.

The Student Enterprise Programme is the country’s largest second level enterprise programme with over 25,000 students taking part last year. The programme sees secondary school students from each of the 31 LEO localities compete in three categories: junior, intermediate and senior. The Programme combines classroom learning with real life experiences and equips students with the skills to set up and run their own business. It helps students to enhance creativity and improve their communication skills.

The programme has a great impact on fostering entrepreneurship in young people across Ireland. Students who take part benefit from the programme as it enables them to explore the concept of entrepreneurship, while helping build an entrepreneurial mind-set. The programme can help develop students’ ability to work as part of a team in a practical way. It also focuses on helping students enhance their creativity by encouraging them to build innovative businesses.

Not only does the Student Enterprise Programme encourage and foster a love of entrepreneurship, it also creates understanding on what is involved in starting a running a business from idea right through to making sales. No matter what these students do in later life they will acquire skills in this programme that they can bring with them into jobs and hopefully their own companies in the years to come.

Ultimately the programme opens up the possibility of becoming an entrepreneur to all students and helps to create future generations of successful entrepreneurs.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As part of Local Enterprise Week 2022, the 31 Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) hosted a programme consisting of over 220 virtual and physical events including 12 free National Spotlight events on topics such as “Future Proofing Your Small Business”, “Internationalising Your Business”, and “Going Green”.

These events took place nationwide and featured topics and themes that sought to identify and address some of the key issues facing micro and small enterprises around the country.

These free-to-enter events were open to all, from budding entrepreneurs to established businesses and provided an opportunity to get expert advice on key areas of business from financial skills, raising finance, exporting, and boosting your business online to future trends such as sustainability and digitalisation.

The 31 LEOs funded the events through their annual budget allocation for enterprise training and development programmes, and the total cost of Local Enterprise Week is estimated at €511,911.

While Local Enterprise Week is seen as important to all businesses who attend, for many entrepreneurs it represents their first steps in starting a business and the positive engagement with their Local Enterprise Office will be key in building confidence and providing them with the assistance to continue on that journey.