The cultivation of an entrepreneurial mindset in students of all disciplines is the ambition of a new student Entrepreneurship Scholarship which is available at IT Sligo in the upcoming academic year for the first time.
Joint funded by IT Sligo, Foróige’s Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) and ACE (Accelerating Campus Entrepreneurship) the scholarship is the first of its kind and is the first formal student pathway established between Foróige’s NFTE and a third level institution. It will take the form of monetary bursaries and entrepreneur-focused supports for eight students starting at IT Sligo next month. If successful, the scholarship programme will also be rolled out to other higher education institutions around the country.
Students who are awarded the scholarship will be afforded a bursary and supported in an eco system which will hone their entrepreneurship skills. An academic mentor, a business mentor, access to support from the Institute’s Innovation Centre, and active participation in the Institute’s Student Enterprise Society, will all form part of the experience.
Secondary school students participating in Foróige’s Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship will be eligible to apply and the scholarship will be open to students pursuing programmes in all disciplines from science and engineering, to business and social science, underpinning the work already underway at IT Sligo through the HEA-funded Accelerating Campus Entrepreneurship (ACE) initiative in which entrepreneurship modules are embedded into existing non-business programmes. Applicants must have a concept they wish to develop.
Maria Doherty the NFTE Programme Manager said; “It’s a very exciting time for the programme to be in a position to develop a pathway to third level for the NFTE participants with IT Sligo. It has always been the long term vision of the programme to facilitate an opportunity for participants to go on to further their education while developing their interest in business and entrepreneurship.”
President of IT Sligo, Professor Terri Scott said; “We want our students to learn that entrepreneurship is about creating your own future and making a difference in your community. IT Sligo has a track record of nurturing entrepreneurship with graduates from all disciplines engaging in start-ups and making a real difference by bringing enterprise competencies to the work place. This scholarship will provide talented school leavers with additional mentoring support along with financial assistance to bring new ventures to market.”
Dr Perry Share, Head Department of Social Sciences at the Institute, said: “This scholarship is the result of a lot of discussion between the partners. Just as our most promising sports people are supported in their further education, this scholarship provides a package of supports and encouragement to our budding entrepreneurs. There is nothing like it in Ireland, but we hope that if this programme is successful, it will be adopted by other HEIs. Entrepreneurial skills and attitudes will not just lead to the establishment of more businesses in the region, but will also stimulate creative problem-solving in existing businesses, community organisations and the public sector.”
For more information click here.
More about NFTE
Foróige’s Youth Entrepreneurship Programme the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship is a cutting edge world recognised youth entrepreneurship education programme. The programme is delivered to 1,500 young people in Ireland and 500 of them are located in the North West to include, Donegal, Sligo, Mayo and Roscommon. For more information click here.
