7
th April, 2011
At the outset, can I say how delighted I am to be here today and I want to congratulate you all on running successful companies.
It is young innovators like yourselves who can really make a difference to Ireland’s future.
We need young people who aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and set up thriving businesses.
The Transition Year Programme gives students the opportunity to step outside the regular curriculum and experience a wide range of educational inputs.
The strong focus on personal development, collaborative, self-directed and experiential learning, work experience and learning in the community is clearly demonstrated by the work of students here today.
Some 28,500 students in 550 schools now take Transition Year.
We know that this leads to a cohort with increased maturity, social awareness, social competence, and enhanced career awareness.
An evaluation of the Transition Year Programme was published by the ESRI in 2005.
Key findings from that study are that students taking the Transition Year Programme have higher education aspirations and are more actively involved in the life of the school.
The evaluation showed that Transition Year students were 1.3 times more likely to enter higher education, and achieved higher grade point averages in the Leaving Certificate than non-Transition Year students.
This is good news for all of you.
I know that mini-companies come up with excellent ideas covering everything from recycling to innovative websites and new mobile phone apps and that we are seeing more and more clever use of technology.
It is this kind of technical innovation which will power the smart economy in the future and it is great to see this being nurtured in our schools.
We have here today 28 finalists from all over the country representing whole class teams.
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all of you here today – students, teachers, transition year coordinators and parents.
I know that you have travelled from all over Ireland to be here this morning.
Your attendance is greatly appreciated and is a sign of the success and popularity of the mini company programme.
There are prizes for Accounts, Marketing, Presentation, Sustainability, Quality of Product and Innovation.
I know that you are all working to deliver products which tick all of these boxes.
The fact that you have got here today, following a whole class effort, speaks volumes for your teamwork and leadership skills, the very qualities that employers say they need in their future employees.
I want to congratulate you all on reaching this stage and express my admiration for your ingenuity and hard work.
Looking around at the wonderful exhibition stands, they really demonstrate the amount of work and commitment that you have all put in.
I am hugely impressed by the great variety of businesses that have been set up.
I am sure that as any person in business will tell you, there is a vast range of skills and roles required to successfully run a business.
They are all equally vital in ensuring the smooth and efficient running of a company.
I hope that the opportunity to test out some of the roles such as production manager, company director and human resources manager, were enjoyable and may have given you inspiration for future directions for further study and career choices.
The chance to experience first hand all of the aspects and challenges of setting up a business from scratch; from thinking up the original idea, registering as a company, selling stocks and shares and perhaps even paying out profits to shareholders if successful, is a uniquely beneficial and invaluable opportunity, and one that I hope you all thoroughly enjoyed.
Of course, research and marketing, preparing a business plan, running the business and doing the accounts were all part of the process, and this experience will equip you to be entrepreneurs in the future.
Your mini company experience has promoted important skills which will serve you in all aspects of life – planning, research, teamwork and evaluation skills.
As a sign of the importance placed on enterprise and the skills you will have all developed through your participation in this programme, later this year the Seán Lemass Award for Enterprise will be presented to the top three winners of today’s competition and the three senior winners of the Student Enterprise Awards.
I want to thank Michael O’Leary, the transition year co-ordinator and his team who provide the supports to make transition year what it is in schools and to also thank the teachers and principals who put so much into developing Transition Year programmes at school level and show how flexible and innovative our school system can be.
Finally, I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate you, the students, for taking part and for showing the wonderful things that our young people can achieve.
Thank you
.Ends