I would encourage Clare Young Entrepreneurs to submit ideas to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to be in with a chance to win a research grant of  €15,000 and a week shadowing top Irish entrepreneur.

The Department of Children and Youth Affairs is organising a nationwide campaign offering young people aged 15-22 with ideas on job creation the opportunity to put their proposals to the new Government. 

This is a great initiative and I urge any local young person to get involved in this competition. It would be fantastic to have local participation in County Clare in this programme which offers some exciting rewards for winning proposals. Entries are being evaluated by leading Irish business people and entrepreneurs.

The competition is being organised in conjunction with TV3’s “Every Job Counts” campaign and in line with the Government’s focus on job creation. The young people behind the top proposals will be given the opportunity to shadow a leading business person and the overall winner will receive a research grant of up to €15,000. 

Young people, like so many in our community, are worried about the recession, about their parents employment and about their own future employment. Many of them have huge energy and ideas for economic development and this initiative will help them structure those ideas into workable proposals.

Participants will be rewarded for their effort by receiving constructive feedback from business leaders. The young people who develop the best job creation proposals will be given the opportunity of spending a week shadowing a successful Irish entrepreneur and the top entry will also win a research grant with Amarach research of €15,000. I would urge any local young person to avail of this opportunity and let their ideas be heard.

Note: To enter this competition simply email your proposal to minister_fitzgerald@health.gov.ie or send it to Minister Frances Fitzgerald, Dept. of Children, Mespil Road, Dublin 4. For more information log on to www.omc.gov.ie