May 2009: 27 Top Irish Companies dedicate more than 10,000 Hours to Student Mentoring Programme

27 Top Irish Companies dedicate more than 10,000 Hours to Student Mentoring Programme

•Over 642 employees and 789 students have participated in the programme since 2001 •Today 125 mentors and 155 students are completing the most recent programme cycle at an honouring ceremony in Dublin Dublin; 26th May 2009: Business in the Community Ireland, today announced that 27 of Ireland's top companies have dedicated over 10,600 employee work hours to the Schools Business Partnership's Student Mentoring Programme, since its inception in 2001. The announcement was made at the graduation ceremony of the most recent successful candidates to complete the programme; 125 mentors and 155 mentees were presented with their certificates today by Minister for Education and Science, Batt O' Keeffe TD at The Department of Education Offices in Dublin. Jointly funded under the National Development Plan, the Student Mentoring Programme is an initiative from the Schools' Business Partnership (SBP) and managed by Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI). The programme involves employees from a number of different companies, mentoring young 5th and 6th year students over a one or two year period. The programme encourages students to stay in school, promotes their self-esteem and develops their awareness of the workplace. Since 2001, 789 students have benefited from the programme and 642 employees have participated as mentors from 27 different companies. Minister O'Keeffe said: “More than 10,000 students from schools involved in the Department's School Completion Programme have signed up for the Schools Business Partnership programme which aims to develop links between schools and local businesses in supporting inclusion in education. This month, I addressed the EU Council of Education Ministers in Brussels where the Czech presidency asked me to brief my European counterparts on the success of the Schools Business Partnership.” He continued, “I want to acknowledge, in particular, the Student Mentoring Programme which has been a major contributor to the success of the School Completion Programme where there has been a significant increase in the number of participating companies in recent years. The success of the programme lies with the employees and the students who take part, the employees who volunteer their time and skills, and the students who remain committed and dedicated to the programme and to their futures. 'We're here today to recognise all stakeholders in this innovative and successful partnership.” The mentors who were present today were representing a total of nine companies including Cadbury Ireland, Anglo Irish Bank, Bank of Ireland, IL&P, Capmark Services Ireland Ltd. Cisco Systems, Diageo Ireland, KPMG, Microsoft Ireland. These companies linked their employees with 5th and 6th year students from their local area schools, these included Presentation Secondary School Warrenmount, St. Vincent's Secondary School, Cork, St. Thomas' Community College, Bray, Cabinteely Community School, Grange Community College, Mullingar Community College, Ringsend Technical Institute, C.B.S. James Street, Patrician College, C.B.S. Westland Row and St. Tiernan's Community School. “The Student Mentoring Programme provides the students with a great opportunity to be supported by a mentor from the business world who shares their own experiences of life with them. The mentors assist the students to research the many careers and opportunities that exist for them. They are there to listen, motivate and to build confidence in the students and to demonstrate the benefits of ongoing education. The last two years of school can be challenging and the students say that by being involved in the mentoring programme their self-confidence, communication and interpersonal skills have all improved. It is a win-win situation because the mentors benefit enormously also in terms of contributing in a real way to their local community. Employees value working for organizations that support this type of community volunteering.” said Germaine Noonan, Manager of the Schools' Business Partnership Programme. The mentors and students discuss career options, do work shadowing, learn computer skills and get assistance with CV preparation and interview skills. Regular one-on-one meetings and social events help to build the relationship with the mentors, who provide an invaluable source of guidance and advice on careers and education to their matched student. At the event, participating students described how being mentored helped their self esteem and many recounted how their mentor helped them research different career choices and supported them during the final challenging years of the Leaving Certificate Cycle. “I applied for it because I wanted to get more of an insight into the career I was interested in, and I hoped the mentoring programme would give me this. I really enjoyed it, and I would recommend it to other students as I learned a lot from it.” Thomas Collins, Patrician College, Finglas. “Cadbury colleagues have enjoyed the experience of mentoring students from the Grange Community College in Donaghmede. The feedback is very positive. Mentors find the programme very rewarding, in particular the personal satisfaction that comes of building a relationship, offering guidance and helping a young person at a pivotal time in their life. We look forward to our continued participation in this very inclusive programme. Deirdre Harte Mentor Programme Co-ordinator, Cadbury Ireland." “Teenagers and young people today are often unfairly depicted in a negative light - if there is one thing that this program showed me, it was that our teenagers are young adults that demand respect and any support we can give them. To anyone who is thinking of becoming a mentor or whose company is thinking of signing up to the program - I couldn't recommend it more - any of my colleagues who have participated have thoroughly enjoyed it and in many cases are repeat customers. To be honest, sometimes I think the mentors gain as much out of the program as the students do”, Sharon Clarke, Mentor, Anglo Irish Bank, Cork. -Ends- For further Information please contact: Una O' Murchu Business in the Community Ireland Tel: 01 874 3821 Mob: 086 780 87 62