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Junior Achievement Programme

Mayor Councillor Veronica Cawley,
Volunteers associated with the Junior Achievement Programme,
Friends,

I am delighted to welcome you to County Hall this afternoon to formally acknowledge the excellent work being delivered in Sligo under the Junior Achievement Programme.

Over the last few years Sligo Local Authorities have been actively engaging with our local schools at a number of levels. Under our ‘Open Local Government’ initiative, schools are invited in to the Council Chamber for a presentation on the Council’s role in the community. We also administer a course for local advocacy groups in partnership with the North West  Parents and Friends Association, whereby young people from Cregg House, Rehab care and the Rosses Sheltered Workshop undertake a day long course in Local Government.

Arguably the schools programme with the highest profile is our Green Schools Programme, which encourages students to take a leading role in protecting our fragile environment, and I am pleased to say Sligo schools have embraced the Green Schools concept wholeheartedly.

The Junior Achievement Programme is an important addition to this process. I think the first point to be made about the programme is that it is voluntary, and involves dedicated people giving of their time and energy to work with public and private organisations.

Its remit is to offer a comprehensive range of enterprise and science programmes to students between the ages of five and eighteen. The programme is specifically targeted at providing enterprise skills for those most at risk to early school leaving.

I think it is important to place this initiative in its proper context. A report commissioned by the County Development Board in 2007 identified an early school leaving rate of 22% in Sligo. While this is consistent with the national average, and marginally below the rate applying in the Border Counties generally, the fact is that this figure is unacceptably high and we all have a duty to try and address it.

There is a natural progression in the Junior Achievement process, right from Primary School to programmes crafted for older students to help in preparing CV’s and setting up mock interviews.

These programmes are hugely important, and have the capacity to make a tangible impact on the future careers of our students. I will conclude by commending each of the participating schools, and a special word of thanks to our excellent volunteers who have shaped and driven this programme.

Thank you.
 
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