Businesses urged to help cut school drop-out number

Business can reverse the shocking numbers of students who drop out of school without even completing their Junior Certificate, it was claimed today.

Junior Achievement Ireland (JAI) said there were 2,500 students who left school with no qualifications and another 10,000 who left with only their Junior Certificate.

“The problem is more social than educational and in a way, it’s unrealistic to expect just the education sector to solve it. By bringing industry in to help, they’ve a better chance of success,” said director Della Clancy.

The non-profit organisation recruits volunteers from around 150 participating companies and sends them to speak about their work in schools with high drop out rates.

It opened an ‘Enterprise City’ at the Dublin offices of the US multinational company Oracle today, where 300 primary school children will run its council, shops, banks and other businesses over a two day period.

Ms Clancy said the JAI volunteers were now reaching 45,000 children across the country, compared to 600 when the programme started 10 years ago.

If you go into very disadvantaged schools, it is very sad how low their expectations are. I’ve talked to 15-year-old girls who want to be cleaners. Just bringing the kids into companies like Oracle, it does lift their aspirations.”

Since the volunteers began visiting schools, children have written to the companies involved looking for work experience and some have gone on to take up full time positions with companies located in the Irish Financial Services Centre.

Most of the initial volunteers came from multi-nationals, who were already familiar with the Junior Achievement concept in the US and other countries.

Ms Clancy said it was now much easier to get homegrown businesses involved.

“I’m delighted to say we get Irish companies now. It’s now accepted by Corporate Ireland that they should give something back to the community.”

Minister for Education Mary Hanafin, who launched the Enterprise City today, said it would help the children to learn invaluable skills such as teamwork, decision-making and entrepreneurship.

“Various evaluations by Junior Achievement Ireland have indicated that events like this encourage young people to stay at school and get their qualifications and I’m delighted that private sector companies are embracing opportunities to actively support initiatives such as this,” she said.