DkIT scoop top EU Enterprise Promotion title
DUNDALK Institute of Technology (DkIT) has been confirmed as a National Winner of the European Enterprise Promotion Awards (EEPA) 2017 for its development of the BSc. (Hons) in Engineering Entrepreneurship programme.
The Level 8 programme was nominated under the ‘Investing in Entrepreneurial Skills’ category in recognition of its unique and multi-disciplinary approach to creating an entrepreneurial mind-set amongst engineers.
The European Enterprise Promotion Awards (EEPA) competition is an initiative by the European Commission aimed at recognising and rewarding exceptional examples of support and promotion of entrepreneurship across Europe.
This is the first time that DkIT has been nominated for such an award and the Institute will now be considered for Stage 2 of the competition which will select final winners at a European Union level.
The BSc. (Hons) in Engineering Entrepreneurship programme is a multi-disciplinary course which was developed with collaboration between the School of Engineering, the School of Business and Humanities and the Regional Development Centre at DkIT.
The core aim of the programme is to enhance the creative and innovative ability of students and to foster understanding of the need for an entrepreneurial culture.
The course is highly practical as students are encouraged to identify their own business idea or product.
By the end of the one year programme students develop a technical assessment and prototype along with a fully developed business plan.
Speaking about the announcement, Colman Ledwith, Programme Director at DkIT’s School of Engineering said:
‘It is a huge honour to be selected as national winners of the European Enterprise Promotion Awards.
This programme was developed to provide our graduates with even more opportunities as they enter the workforce.
He added that entrepreneurial training will allow all graduates to recognise and respond to business opportunities ‘and those who join established businesses better support their employers as innovators, not to mention have enhanced managerial skills.’
Aidan Browne, Innovation and Business Development Manager at the Regional Development Centre at DkIT added:
‘ There is no question that with their technical expertise, innate creativity and strong aptitudes in problem-solving engineers can make excellent entrepreneurs.
By embedding entrepreneurship and facilitating access to the expertise available at the Regional Development Centre in this programme, we are helping to unlock this potential and produce more enterprising engineering graduates that can make valuable contributions to economic and social development of the north east and beyond.’