The business

Young people taking part in educational programmes designed to help them understand the world of work are gradually taking full…

Young people taking part in educational programmes designed to help them understand the world of work are gradually taking full responsibility for their enterprises, according to Pat Fay, a teacher at St Paul's Secondary School in Raheny, Dublin. Fay, who has received a bursary to carry out research into the Junior Achievement Ireland programmes, has found so far that students taking part in Junior Achievement Ireland - set up in 1994 by a group of business people following a US model - are increasingly expanding their role.

The programme aims to give young people insights into the mechanics of business, economics and the work ethic. In the 1996-97 school year, more than 1,650 students in 20 schools took part.