A programme that aims to encourage early school leavers to continue their education has grown by 70 per cent in the past year, according to the Minister for Education and Science.
Mary Hanafin unveiled the Schools' Business Partnership (SBP) Annual Report 2005-6 today at the Department of Education and Science in Dublin.
The SBP programme attracted 37 new schools and businesses in the past year. It is managed by Business in the Community Ireland and provides a link between early school leavers and employers.
The Student Mentoring Programme encourages students who are at risk of leaving school early to continue with their studies with the advice of a mentor at a local business. Almost 1,000 mentors and students have participated to date.
The Skills at Work programme invites employees from local businesses to talk to students about the real-life skills required in the workforce, such as interview preparation and CV writing.
Ms Hanfin said the partnership helped schools and students break the cycle of early school leaving. "More and more schools and businesses are being twinned and offering a mentoring programme for students," she said.
"This programme helps hundreds of second level students value their schooling more, develop social skills and consider career options they might otherwise have overlooked" she added.
The SBP has almost completed its first phase of matching in excess of 100 schools identified by the Department of Education's School Completion Programme. The next two years will see the programme matching corporate partners with 50 new schools.
Marks & Spencer Ireland is the lead programme sponsor with the SBP, and further sponsorship is provided by Cadbury Ireland.
The SBP is now active in 19 counties, and over one quarter of Ireland's secondary schools have participated in it.