A recent survey of national school teachers in Ireland has revealed the positive impact of entrepreneurship and business skills programmes in the primary curriculum.

Eighty-seven per cent of teachers saw an increase in confidence in children participating in the Junior Entrepreneur Programme (JEP).

And all agreed that children’s communications and presentation skills benefited enormously from the free initiative, in which primary pupils start up and run their own small businesses.

More than 330 schools were surveyed by the JEP to provide a comprehensive overview of the scheme’s benefits for primary school pupils.

Co-founded and led by Tweak.com chief executive Jerry Kennelly, the JEP says it is the only national programme that promotes entrepreneurship at primary level.

Last year, the JEP was rolled out to more than 10,000 primary school children in Ireland and Northern Ireland, and this year the numbers signing up for JEP are expected to increase significantly.

“This latest research shows how much children can benefit from JEP,” said Kennelly. “Introducing children to entrepreneurship and creating a ‘can do’ culture from an early age not only helps with self-esteem and personal development, but it also enables students to better understand subject choices and make career decisions at secondary school level.”

Kennelly added that the programme “will not only provide children with opportunities in the future, but will also support job creation and economic development in Ireland.”

More information about the programme can be found at juniorentrepreneur.ie.