Innovation Camp to Celebrate Young Project Managers
Volunteer Kate Shields from Sanofi with students from De La Salle College, Waterford on their completion of the PM Skills for Life programme
100 transition year students from around the country have been nominated to take part in the PM Skills for Life Innovation Camp in Thomond Park Stadium on 3 May.
The Innovation Camp will celebrate young project managers who have excelled during the completion of the PM Skills for Life programme, a collaborative initiative between the Project Management Institute Educational Foundation (PMIEF) and Junior Achievement Ireland (JAI).
The PM Skills for Life programme enables students to understand, plan, carry out, monitor and evaluate a project of their own. 500 Transition Year students from 15 schools across Carlow, Clare, Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Waterford completed the programme this year.
The projects undertaken by the students ranged from social enterprises such as fundraisers for local charities to school integration events for younger students, and from mental health awareness campaigns to fundraising events to support school renovation appeals.
Thank you to all the volunteers, from a host of supporting organisations, who assisted the students in developing the skills involved in working as an effective team to plan and run a successful project. This form of real-to-life experience is absolutely invaluable in preparing students, like those pictured here from Assumption Secondary, Clondalkin, during their fundraising event, for fulfilling post-school careers.
PMIEF and JAI joined forces to present the opportunity for project management professionals to work with second level students to help them understand the benefits of acquiring and practising project management skills.
Students from the 15 schools will travel to Thomond Park Stadium on 3 May to complete an Innovation Camp, which will involve a masterclass from a guest speaker as part of an advanced project management workshop. They will also share their key learnings as project managers with their peers. A tour of the iconic stadium will complete an exciting day for the young project managers and their teachers and mentors.
Helen Raftery, CEO of Junior Achievement Ireland, commented that “We are grateful to PMIEF for the resources to run this initiative, and appreciate all of the time and expertise of our expert project management volunteers to promote student learning. Project management is both a practical 21st century life skill as well as critical business skill. Through experiential learning and a hands-on introduction to project management these students are better prepared for future success and have developed skills that will be beneficial to them irrespective of the career path they choose.”