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“We’re stronger together” is the message from the Local Enterprise Offices, at the announcement of events to mark National Women’s Enterprise Day on Wednesday, 14 October.
The Local Enterprise Office initiative, now in its fourteenth year, was launched by An Tánaiste and Minister Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar TD, and is being funded by the Government of Ireland in partnership with Enterprise Ireland and Local Authorities.
Figures released by Local Enterprise Offices to coincide with the launch reveal that 20,551 female participants took part in training programmes with their Local Enterprise Office in the first six months of 2020, an increase of 58% over the same period last year. There is also greater demand for mentoring support this year, with 3,567 female entrepreneurs taking up the support between January and June 2020, an increase of 19%*.
The interactive events on 14 October for National Women’s Enterprise Day are moving online to LocalEnterprise.ie/NWED and the big themes this year are resilience, self-care, innovation and opportunity. All events in the programme are free of charge and include workshops with experts, panel discussions, a virtual marketplace and facilitated networking to connect more entrepreneurs with each other.
Entrepreneurs that will be sharing their insights and journeys include Olympian-turned-company founder Derval O’Rourke, Sonia Deasy of the Irish global skincare brand, Pestle & Mortar, Pamela Laird of Moxi Loves who was a finalist on BBC’s The Apprentice and Áine Kerr, the co-founder of Kinzen and RTÉ broadcaster, who is also the M.C. for the day.
An Tánaiste, who will be delivering the opening address on National Women’s Enterprise Day, said:
"The ‘Stronger Together’ message for National Women’s Enterprise Day has never been more important. I look forward to addressing this year’s event and hearing from inspiring female business leaders on how they have managed the past few months, which have been extremely difficult for all business owners and their staff. The government is determined to help more women pursue entrepreneurship as a career and I’m encouraged to see such a significant increase – 58%, taking up the training programmes that are available. Training and mentorship can make a huge difference to any entrepreneur starting out, on what can often be a lonely journey, and I encourage all women considering setting up their own business to contact their Local Enterprise Office to see how they can help you."
Orla Martin, Chair of the National Women’s Enterprise Day Committee and Head of Enterprise with LEO Offaly, said that Local Enterprise Office supports will be highlighted throughout the day to encourage more women to take advantage of them.
She added:
"COVID-19 has severely impacted every aspect of doing business in Ireland and there are massive challenges ahead. Throughout the pandemic, Local Enterprise Offices have been helping small businesses respond to the crisis and over 20,500 female entrepreneurs have taken up supports so far in 2020. On National Women’s Enterprise Day on 14 October, we want to show businesses that we’re ‘Stronger Together.’ We also want to show how small changes can make big impacts, how we can learn from each other, how small businesses can cultivate innovation and how international markets can offer new opportunities."
Other contributors on the day include Siobhan Kinsella of Chambers Ireland, Alison Richie of Polar Ice, Joanne Hession of LIFT Ireland, Tracy Keogh of Grow Remote, Larissa Feeney of Accountant Online, Deirdre Parkinson of Microfinance Ireland as well as Sheelagh Daly, Anne Lanigan and Marina Donohoe of Enterprise Ireland.
For more information on National Women’s Enterprise Day and to pre-register for the free events, go to LocalEnterprise.ie/NWED or search #NWED on social media.
ENDS
*Figures released by the Local Enterprise Offices (and compiled by Enterprise Ireland on 17 September 2020)
2019: No of female participants taking part in training programmes from January to June 2019 was 12,964
2020: No of female participants taking part in training programmes from January to June 2020 was 20,551
An increase of 7,587 female participants (58.5%)
2019: No of female participants taking part in mentoring from January to June 2019 was 2,992
2020: No of female participants taking part in mentoring from January to June 2020 was 3,567
An increase of 575 female participants (19.2%)
To see the programme of events for National Women’s Enterprise Day, please visit LocalEnterprise.ie/NWED