Young Irish graduates most highly sought after in Europe, says IBEC

IRELAND’S young graduates are highly regarded as among the brightest, most enthusiastic and best educated in Europe, the director of a key export programme said yesterday.

While the outlook for Irish companies exporting to Europe and the US in 2003 remains more cautious than previous years, our young graduates are making waves abroad, said IBEC's director of the Export Orientation Programme, Caroline Nash.

She made her comments at the opening day of the Annual Business and Enterprise Week at Waterford Institute of Technology.

"Ireland's young graduates have a very good attitude and work ethic. They can train to become something, rather than having to have a specific qualification. Attitude more than ability is what counts. We have a good reputation abroad as enthusiastic and well educated," she said.

Today's keynote speakers will be Fr Sean Healy of the Justice Commission at CORI, the Conference of Religious of Ireland and Dorothea Dowling, group liability manager with CIÉ and chairwoman of the Motor Insurance Advisory Board. Her topic is: "Insurance careers a yawn or a new dawn."

The assistant director of the Small Firms Association, Patricia Callan will speak tomorrow, along with Brody Sweeney, chief executive of the O'Brien's Irish Sandwich Bar franchise.

The Thursday morning session will be addressed by John Delaney, the honorary treasurer of the Football Association of Ireland. His address will be followed by a presentation from Carmel Foley, the Director of Consumer Affairs. Ms Foley will set out what business and marketing practitioners should know about consumer affairs.

Angela Collins, careers advisor at Waterford Institute of Technology, said staff and students are both looking forward to the busy programme.

"Business and Enterprise Week is an excellent opportunity to bring our students into contact with those who work in various areas of business. It also gives them a chance to hear presentations that they could only otherwise access at national conferences that could cost them several hundred euro to attend."