Local Students Embrace Global Entrepreneurship Week
Students from St Ciaran’s College, Ballygawley, and Sacred Heart College, Omagh were among those who attended entrepreneurship masterclasses.
Aimed at 14-18 year olds, the programme is designed to help students to think about opening their own business as a viable and exciting career option.
Students from across Northern Ireland learned the secrets to creating a positive employment future for themselves during the Young Enterprise Northern Ireland Tourism Entrepreneurship Masterclasses, supported by Lisburn City Council, during Global Enterpreneurship Week.
Inspired by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board’s “Our Time Our Place” campaign in 2012, the students received the opportunity to learn more about business opportunities in this key growth sector.
During the event, held at Irvinestown’s Bawnacre Centre, students learned how to develop the key entrepreneurial skills required to start their own company, including communication, team work, marketing and developing a unique business proposition.
Working in teams with new “colleagues” from different schools, the students developed a business plan, which involved designing and presenting their very own tourism event to a panel of industry judges in a “Dragon’s Den”-style pitch.
Local entrepreneur Ben O’Hanlon from Todd’s Leap passed on some of his entrepreneurial wisdom to a captive audience, who then had the opportunity to hone their new business skills.
Volunteers from the local business community, including Belfast Telegraph’s Entrepreneur of the Year, Shauna Gallagher from Nature’s Inspiration, were also on hand to act as business mentors.
In addition, the students were treated to a dynamic presentation on “How to Deliver a Perfect Pitch.”
Fionnuala McMenamin, Development Manager of Young Enterprise Northern Ireland’s Sperrins and Lakelands Region, was impressed with the enthusiasm and entrepreneurial potential displayed by the students.
She said: “We are delighted with the success of the Entrepreneurship Masterclass events. It is fantastic to see students from so many different schools throughout the region working together in teams to develop innovative business proposals.
“Young Enterprise aims to deliver programmes which are up-to-date and reflective of current business trends; therefore, this year, we decided that the Masterclasses should focus on one of our key growth industries: tourism.
“Entrepreneurship education is a vital contribution to this region’s economic output, and the talent on display today certainly bodes well for our future prosperity.”
Young Enterprise Northern Ireland is building an interconnected world of young people, business volunteers and educators, inspiring each other to succeed through enterprise. As Northern Ireland’s foremost business and enterprise education charity, all its programmes are based on the principle of “learning by doing”, to promote a culture of enterprise from an early age. All activities are delivered by fully-trained business volunteers from partnership organisations and supported by the Department of Education, and a variety of public and private sector organisations
To find out more about corporate support or volunteering opportunities, please contact Young Enterprise Northern Ireland on 02890 327003.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Dungannon
Friday 24 May 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 4 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 8 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South
