St Patrick’s students get down to business with Young Enterprise

Jane McGeary (Young Enterprise) with St Patricks Pupils Caitlin McMahon and Emma McKeown.

Funded by the Department of Education Northern Ireland, the programme shows students the similarities between their school and the world of business through hands-on, interactive games and problem-solving activities.

Your School Your Business is the newest in Young Enterprise Northern Ireland’s suite of core programmes.

Your School Your Business is designed to help make the transition to post-primary school easier for the new students, and to make the experience a positive one.

Ben Thompson, Ralph Orong, Caitlin Turnstill, Ellie Smith with Jane McGeary from Young Enterprise.

Central to the seminar are the skills that the students will need to be successful in their new school, such as communication, teamwork and problem-solving.

The students also received an opportunity to interact with various support staff from the school, in order to gain an appreciation of the different roles within a business.

Carol Fitzsimons, Chief Executive Officer at Young Enterprise Northern Ireland, commented: “Facing a new situation like this, meeting lots of new people and understanding different expectations can leave students isolated and nervous at the prospect.

“Your School Your Business offers students the opportunity to overcome their fears, make new friends and a great opportunity to gain an understanding of the infrastructure of their school, and of businesses.

Year 8 Pupils Caolin McClenaghan, Terry Hanna, Eddie Stokes.

“Our aim is to help these young people view their progression as a positive experience, and the skills they learn can be applied to any situation, which will help them prepare for success in their future working lives.”

Young Enterprise is Northern Ireland’s foremost business and enterprise education charity and 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 funded by a variety of public and private sector organisations.

To find out more about corporate support or volunteering opportunities, contact Young Enterprise Northern Ireland on 028 90 327003.