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Junior Entrepreneur Programme (JEP)
It has often been said there are a few old’ dragons knocking about Saint Joseph’s Primary school, but on Thursday the 22nd of January that was quite literally the truth! Hold on I hear you say, dragons, real dragons? Well let us explain………….Over the past few weeks the Primary 6 & 7 pupils have been participating in a “Junior Entrepreneur Programmer, ” the aim of which is to open young minds to the thrill of business, while developing their skills and confidence. The children (and parents!) were set the task of coming up new and innovative ideas that could make them the “next big thing!!”
“This is a great opportunity for all school children. It has been proven that pupils who participate in entrepreneurship programmes demonstrate increased initiative and self-confidence. Fostering a love for business and a culture of entrepreneurship in children will not only provide them with opportunities in the future, but will also support job creation and economic development in Ireland,” (Mr. Kennelly, JEP Programme)
Part of the programme involved inviting local business people (The Dragons) to come to our school and hold a “Dragon’s Den” style event in which pupils showcased their innovations. The Dragons: Tracey Hamilon (Mash Direct), Ed (Magnakata Tepees) and Michael (NI Food Agency) introduced themselves to the children and told them about their successful businesses. The children presented their own ideas and dragons asked them questions about costings, target audiences, etc. This was followed by a Q &A sessions where the children were able to question the dragons on their business experiences, etc. We greatly appreciate the time Tracey, Ed and Michael gave us and we really enjoyed meeting them.
The event was a roaring success and the dragons were bowled over by some of the smoking hot ideas that the pupils put forward. In fact the ideas which ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous and we mean ridiculous in a good way, as in ridiculously amazing, certain slayed the dragons…..
Watch this space, this P6/7 class certainly has the potential to be very successful entrepreneurs………
