Building Better Futures programme will offer tailored training to women who face extra barriers to entrepreneurship in Ireland.
MRCI project coordinator Aoife Smith said, “National Women’s Enterprise Day is a chance to celebrate the immense talent and potential of Ireland’s female entrepreneurs, new and existing, and today we’re launching Building Better Futures, an exciting and innovative new project for migrant women entrepreneurs. 25 women will receive accredited bespoke training to support their entrepreneurial goals and ambitions. Fully funded through the European Social Fund, the programme will be free for all participants.”
A tailored training programme run by the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) with the DCU Ryan Academy, the course will take place over a series of weekends in Spring 2018. Industry experts will be on board to help mentor participants and encourage the success of participants’ enterprise initiatives.
Aoife Smith continued, “There are significant barriers to entrepreneurship for all women in Ireland, but migrant women are doubly affected. A significant number of women in our own Domestic Workers Action Group were CEOs, directors, entrepreneurs and creators in their countries of origin, but in Ireland they can only work as childminders or carers. Due to discrimination and a dearth of supports, an enormous pool of talent and entrepreneurial potential is going untapped every day in Ireland. We can and must do better.”
NOTES
Building Better Futures is supported by the European Social Fund (ESF). The object of the ESF is to combat discrimination in the labour market and promote equal opportunities for women in entrepreneurship. In Ireland men are 2.5 times more likely to set up enterprises than women, which shows that there is an opportunity to support more female entrepreneurship.
Migrant women with entrepreneurial ambitions are encouraged to check out www.mrci.ie or contact aoife@mrci.ie for further details.
For more information about National Women’s Enterprise Day, see https://www.localenterprise.ie/Enable-Enterprise-Culture/National-Women-s-Enterprise-Day
