Photo: Sean Jefferies
A Female Specific business training programme in North Cork will focus on working with women to develop key skills that will help them grow their business and create jobs within the region.
Launched on Monday at the The Mill in Castletownroche, this is an initiative of Cork County Council’s Local Enterprise Office Cork North & West.
The programme covers business skills such as business planning, financial planning, marketing and sales, human resource management, leadership skills and building a team. The programme commenced on Monday, 9th September, and will run for nine consecutive weeks in the Mill, Castletownroche.
“This programme will encourage and support dedicated female entrepreneurial activity in the area,” said Kevin Curran, Head of the Local Enterprise Office. “There are some wonderful and dedicated female entrepreneurs in the area and we in the Local Enterprise Office are delighted to assist them through the various training, mentoring & business development support programmes”.
LEO Cork North and West have a good track record in supporting successful women in business with examples such as Maura Hunter of Interior Designs. Maura founded the nationally renowned MH Designs over 25 years ago. A mother to 5 daughters at the time, she was frustrated with a lack of good design at the time. After years of exams, hard work and dedication, Maura finally saw her ideas unfold into reality.
Expanding through networking and training from the LEO (NCEB), MH Designs is now an established business and has been featured on RTE 1’s At Your Service. Maura completed this programme last year to further progress her Business.
Another is Bernie Carroll, Charleville, who founded Student Programmes Ireland Ltd in 2009 and has, since then, also completed the LEO’s Women In Business programme.
LEO Business and Training Advisor Joan Kelleher said they are very proud of their clients. “These [above] two ladies provide excellent role models to women in business in the region and are excellent examples of female entrepreneurs. Very often through these training and support programmes business ideas are unlocked and the capacity of the participants is developed so as to provide for a strong foundation for success and further engagement with the vast array of supports offered to small business opportunities through our LEO’s.”