Schools' Business Partnership

Adding value to the Department of Education & Science 'School Completion Programme' this programme aims to positively impact on educational inclusion in Ireland. The programme does this by matching one school with a large local business and engaging in various programmes. The number of schools currently matched nationally is 176. Through the Schools' Business Partnership a menu of programmes has been developed to address key educational issues for these schools across the country. Marks & Spencer Ireland have been the lead sponsor of the Schools' Business Partnership since its inception - a remarkable commitment.

14 SBP coordinators work throughout Ireland facilitating the partnership between the schools and companies - Click here to meet the SBP team. In the last decade, 223 business partnerships have been established - click here to see the current SBP partnerships. To date, over 18,000 students have participated in SBP initiatives. Read what the European Commisson has to say about our great programmes here.

Follow us on twitter for regular SBP and Irish education updates: www.twitter.com/#!/SBP_BITCI

Links Magazine

Links, the magazine from The Schools' Business Partnership is published during each academic year. Read the Diary of a mentor from the Student Mentoring Programme, meet the students from Skills @ Work and learn more about the innovative partnerships taking place throughout Ireland. Links provides an insight into each if the five initiatives offered by The Schools' Business Partnership.

Student Mentoring Programme

The final two years of education are probably the most important for many students' academic careers. 62% of Irish people believe that being partnered with a business mentor encourages at risk students to complete their Leaving Certificate according to Amarach Research 2011.  The Student Mentoring Programme provides students with a mentor from the outside world of work to encourage and assist them through this period. The programme encourages the student to stay in school, promotes their self-esteem and develops their awareness of the workplace. The benefits for businesses involved with the Student Mentoring Programme are improved reputation and loyalty in the local community, a better-skilled local workforce from which to draw future employees and improved staff morale and motivation from involvement in a programme which can be included in staff appraisal and development. 1,071 students and 900 mentors have participated in this initiative to date.

Click here to watch the video clip of Eoin Speight, a former student on the Student Mentoring Programme as he shares his experience of the programme.

Skills @ Work

This programme gives students an insight into life after school. Employees and managers from the partnering business provide students with a firsthand insight into the diversity of employment roles within a company. For employees this provides an opportunity to enhance and develop presentation skills and recognition of the contribution of different staff roles within the company. This also presents companies with an opportunity to recruit strategically into the company through partnership with a local school. The programme provides site visits, ‘A Day in the Life' talks, CV workshops, mock interviews, company overviews, interview skill techniques and many other sessions such as workplace etiquette, teamwork, etc.16,693 students have particpated in this programme to date.

"This programme has influenced my thinking on the importance of completing school. I did it because I saw peoples' everyday life and they all had to finish school and go onto college...SO I AM! I realsie that if I do my Leaving Cert it will open more jobs to me." Johnathan McInerney, St. Nessan's CC, Limerick partnered with Limerick Institute of Technology

"The positive feedback indicates that school has been made more interesting by the programme and our link with the ESB Generating Station. The emphasis on gaining a qualification and the positive view of the world given in the programme has not been lost on the students." David Kissane, LCVP Coordinator, Tarbert Comprehensive School, Kerry

"Once again the Skills @ Work Programme has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my job. It is great to be able to pass on knowledge and if it only helps one student to secure a place on a course or to get their dream job then it is very worthwhile. All the feedback from colleagues who have been involved this year has been excellent, they are delighted that Abbott encourages them to give back to the community and seems to make them think more postively of us as an employer. It also has helped some with their presentation skills and fear of speaking in front of audiences." Emmett Wrafter, HR Manager, Abbott Laboratories, Dublin

Management Excellence for Principals Programme

A unique programme in the Irish education and business context, Management Excellence for Principals (MEP) invites business leaders to share expertise and strategy with educational leaders through a series of workshops over the course of the school year. Topics identified by principals include time management, leadership and performance management. 70% of Ireland's post primary principals have participated to date at venues across the country. Companies currently participating include: J & J, Coillte, élan, National Irish Bank, Diageo, CRH (John A. Wood), Anglo Irish Bank, Diageo, IBM, Pramerica, RTÉ, Musgrave SVC, Bose, Vware, Xerox, Irish Management Institute, Centocor, the Kerryman, Intel, DBL Capital, Ulster Bank and Donegal Creameries. All of these companies provide these seminars free gratis to the principals. Cornmarket Group Financial Services Ltd sponsor this programme.

Click Here for further information on the MEP programme
Cornmarket Sponsorship - Click here for Press Release

Click here for the 2011-2012 MEP timetable

Management Excellence for Teachers Programme

The Management Excellence for Teachers programme receives funding from the Department of Education & Skills while the business contributes invaluable expertise and time.   Business leaders provide workshop/seminars to whole teaching staffs on topics identified by the teachers such as:  teamwork, communication skills, flexibility skills; PR; time management skills; ICT and education; etc. In 2010-11 it is being delivered to 18 schools in Ireland.

Time to Read Pilot Programme

The programme called “Time to Read”, currently in pilot stages, is being funded by Bord Gáis and is already signaling considerable impacts & success. Employees from companies provide reading support to a child with the aim of increasing the enjoyment and confidence of reading and encourage self discovery. The pilot involves six schools and six companies to date but the aim is to expand this programme nationwide much like the rest of the programmes run by The Schools’ Business Partnership provided the evaluation demonstrates significant impacts.

Summer Work Placement Programme

This initiative is run in partnership with SBP participating companies and member companies of the Irish Funds Industry Association. The programme provides students with an invaluable insight into leading Irish businesses after their Leaving Certificate by providing quality work placements lasting 6-12 weeks. For many students it is an ideal start to their careers, and the businesses provide a supportive environment for a young person to build their confidence. Employers benefit from the opportunity to recruit strategically from their local community and report that the students dispay great enthusiasm and the motivation to maximise the opportunities given.

Click here to download Summer Work Placement Programme 2008 Leaflet

Education Task Force

The Task Force aims to develop quality programmes and initiatives to support Irish education. The current Task Force is looking at ways of supporting school boards of management. In December 2005, the Task Force launched ‘Lift Off' - a guide to work experience for schools and businesses.

Click here to download SBP Lift Off Work Experience Guide

Annual Reports

Click here to download SBP Annual Report 2007-2008
Click here to download SBP Annual Report 2006-2007
Click here to download SBP Annual Report 2005-2006
Click here to download SBP Annual Report 2004-2005
Click here to download SBP Annual Report 2003-2004

For further information please contact 01 874 3809 or sbp@bitc.ie