The North Cork Enterprise Board this week launched its Schools Enterprise Programme for 2008 / 2009 at a function in Longueville House Mallow.

Hosted by the North Cork Enterprise Board, the function is being attended by forty Secondary School Principals and Teachers, as well as representatives of Charleville and Mallow Chambers, Mitchelstown Business Association and Fermoy Business Association, all of whom support the Schools Programme and are involved with the North Cork Enterprise Board in its delivery.

The Schools Enterprise Programme is based on the idea of 'learning by doing', with each group of students setting up a mini company, raising all the necessary finances, identifying producing and selling a product, making a profit, filing company accounts and returns and undertaking whatever other important tasks would be deemed necessary by a successful company.

The purpose of the programme is to alert students to the benefits and the opportunities, that the future could bring from self employment and starting their own business. The Schools Enterprise Programme in the North Cork region has been run for over ten years by the North Cork Enterprise Board. Last year, 244 Secondary School Students participated in 13 of the 18 Secondary Schools in the region, one of the highest participation rates in the country.

Chairman Emer Howard paid tribute to the Enterprise Teachers, the School Principals and the Business Leaders from the local communities, saying, "Without their extra voluntary input, none of all this great work would be possible". The North Cork Enterprise Board have played an integral role in developing the Schools Enterprise Programme over the years. This year, an updated resource web-site is being added, as well as resource books for the Teachers. A new web-based competitive international business game is also envisaged.

"We were set up to promote business; we need to be conscious of and nurture the contribution of our younger people going forward; we will always need new and vibrant people to come through. In that sense this Schools Programme is a massive investment in all our futures," said Joan Kelleher, who manages the Programme for the North Cork Enterprise Board.

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