Junior Achievement celebrates industry and education partnerships in the Cork and Kerry Region

BUSINESS leaders from across Cork and Kerry, joined educators from primary, second and third levels and students to celebrate Junior Achievement Ireland (JAI) industry and education partnerships across the region this week.

Dell Technologies, a founding member and partner of JAI since 1996, hosted the event at the company’s campus at Ovens.

JAI is the largest non-profit organisation of its kind in the region. JAI recruits, trains and supports volunteers from businesses to deliver education programmes across a range of employability, financial literacy, STEM subjects and entrepreneurship skills. In total, there are 14 structured primary and second-level JA programmes for six to 16-year-olds.

In welcoming attendees, Bob Savage, Vice President Regional CIO for EMEA and Cork Site Leader, Dell Technologies Ireland, said: “We’re delighted to host the Junior Achievement Business breakfast at our campus in Cork. Our Dell Technologies team in Cork as well as those in Limerick and Dublin have enjoyed a long relationship with Junior Achievement Ireland. Dell volunteers have given their time to engage with students and give them an insight into the exciting world of technology.

“We look forward to continuing to work together as we help create new possibilities for students within the community and ensure they reach their full potential.”

An expert panel was convened to explore how volunteering can be a strategic enabler for employee engagement and retention.

The panel comprised Gillian Bergin, Global Business Transformation, Dell Technologies; Cliona O’Geran, CSR site lead, Janssen Pharmaceutical Sciences and Elysia Hegarty, Associate Director at Future of Work Institute, CPL. In an engaging discussion, the panel exchanged views on how our approach to employee engagement must adapt to post-pandemic working practices while also ensuring employees have opportunities to volunteer either as individuals or in group to support connectedness within teams.

All agreed that volunteering opportunities must align with both company values and that of individual employees.

As one example of how volunteering can achieve all those goals, a group of students who had completed a JA in-classroom programme with a business volunteer were invited to share their feedback. Fifth-class students from Scoil Nicoláis, Frankfield, described their experience of the ‘Our World’ programme which was delivered by business volunteer Alex O’Keeffe from Janssen Sciences, Ringaskiddy. The students left no one in attendance in any doubt as to their belief in the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEAM).

The students’ showcase included a sample of their engineering constructions, key messages about sustainability as well as an outline of their app design which was a Home Energy Conservation online game that they had developed during their five-week Junior Achievement programme.

A very impressive group of students reinforced the impact that industry-education partnerships can have in complementing the work of teachers and helping young people connect their in-school learning with their post-school futures.

CEO of Junior Achievement Ireland, Helen Raftery said: “We at Junior Achievement Ireland truly appreciate the generosity of business leaders in the Cork Region in enabling more than 7.000 students to participate in JA programmes and events during the 2022/23 school year.”

In highlighting why JA programmes are so impactful, she said: “Research shows us that helping young people to see the relevance of their academic studies to their everyday lives is a vital factor in persuading them to stay in school and to take maximum advantage of the opportunity that education offers.”