Damien Treanor, Errigal Contracts & Mairéad Mohan, JAI with students from St. Patrick’s N.S. Clara
Supported by the Fund for County Monaghan, six businesses throughout Monaghan took part in a Junior Achievement enterprise project aimed at giving young people an insight into the world of work and to inspire them to work hard in school to achieve their full potential and future career aspirations.
As Mairéad Mohan, Programme Coordinator, Junior Achievement Ireland explains: “there is an abundance of research to support the need for the delivery of enterprise programmes in our school system. A recent report by the European Commission concluded that participants who have engaged in early-stage entrepreneurship education, have an easier time securing a job than their peers; have higher salaries and are more motivated in their careers than their peers; are 4-5 times more likely to start their own business; show more self-confidence; make better education choices; and have higher rates of employability.”
We have received really encouraging feedback from principals, teachers, students and parents and are extremely grateful to the Fund for County Monaghan for sponsoring this initiative and also to the companies and business volunteers who delivered this programme in ten schools throughout the county, to Damien Treanor, Martina Corrigan and Mark Landers from Errigal Contracts who delivered the programme in St. Dympna’s N.S., Tydavnet and St. Patrick’s N.S., Clara; to Padraig Mc Guigan, Mc Guigan Builders who delivered the programme in St. Mary’s N.S., Clontibret; to Christopher Campbell from Mc Aree Engineering who delivered the programme in St. Joseph’s N.S., Knockatallon; to Michéal Mc Ardle and Darren Crawley from Mc Ardle-Skeath Transport who delivered the programme in St. Daig’s N.S. and in Scoil Cholmcille, Blackstaff; and to Charlotte O’Connell and Margaret Mc Loone from Monaghan Mushrooms who delivered the programme to Latton N.S., Naomh Oliver Plunkett N.S., Rockcorry N.S. and Scoil Mhuire, Rockcorry.
Teresa O’Hanlon, Vice-Principal, St. Patrick’s National School, Clara was delighted to welcome Damien Treanor, Errigal Contracts in to her class and expressed her sincerest gratitude to Damien, and to the Fund for County Monaghan for giving the children the opportunity to take part in such an inspirational and motivational programme. “We as a school strive to promote the wellbeing, social, emotional and educational development and confidence of each individual child, which this programme fully complimented. Damien had an excellent rapport with the children and brought the whole nature of the programme to life as he explained clearly to the children about his own business experiences, allowing them to understand the vast opportunities that await them while boosting their self-confidence and opening their eyes to the whole wide world of business. Following a trip to Errigal Contracts, the children returned to school full of enthusiasm and were left feeling motivated and inspired by the whole concept of education and the opportunities each of them could have in the future with just a little bit of hard work. I have to say, the whole programme has really opened their minds to a road of further discovery and communication and has equipped them with many new life skills at such an early but inspiring and influential stage of their lives.Congratulations to everyone involved in the delivery of this programme and for making it possible. We are a small rural school and opportunities like this are warmly welcomed.”