Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship at Kinsale Campus

Kinsale Campus has a long outstanding history of innovation and leading from the front. This year, the campus was recognized for its efforts by Cork Education and Training Board and was awarded ‘Entrepreneurial College of the Year’. In addition to this award, three students, Trish Daly, Ihor Dakhov and Valeriia Hrechana showcased their business plans at Cork City Hall, with Valeriia winning ‘Best Marketing Plan Pitch’.  These awards are an incredible achievement for both students and staff, and validation of the fantastic work that goes on within the campus daily. Huge congratulations go to teaching staff Deirdre Carney and Thomas Riedmuller for promoting entrepreneurship across the campus.

Entrepreneurship is embedded into the DNA of Kinsale Campus, with many great ideas and projects beginning their journey from the campus. Long before the Greta Thunberg’s of the world were even born, Kinsale Campus has been advocating for sustainability and climate change. Recognized both nationally and internationally as a Centre of excellence for sustainability, Kinsale Campus is the birthplace of the world’s first two-year programme in Permaculture. The course still runs to this day, under the guise of Sustainable Horticulture, and attracts students from across the globe, in the pursuit of gaining knowledge and practical skills in biodiversity, sustainable living and environmental science. Graduates from this programme have been inspired to establish their own successful businesses, progressed to further studies and/or gained meaningful employment as sustainability champions by top international industries.

14/03/2023. Pictured is John Fitzgibbons, Director of Further Education Cork ETB (second from left), presenting the College of the Year prize to Valeriia Hrechana, Deirdre Carney, Ihor Dakhov and Trish Daly, all Cork College of FET Kinsale Campus, at the Enabling Entrepreneurship event in association with JA Ireland and Cork ETB, at the Millennium Hall, City Hall, Cork. Picture: Jim Coughlan.

The seed for the Transition Town movement began at Kinsale Campus, and now stretches across the world, with communities in several countries, actively seeking a more sustainable future for us all. Not only do we talk the talk, but we also walk the walk at Kinsale Campus, receiving the Green Campus award from An Taisce, the first further education college in Munster to achieve this. The themes were biodiversity enhancements and waste reduction, with a whole college approach of halving our waste emissions.  

Now only is Kinsale Campus known for its efforts in sustainability, it is also synonymous with Universal Design for Learning (UDL). UDL is a set of inclusive teaching principles, that give students an equal opportunity to learn. Having won the John Kelly Award for UDL from AHEAD in 2019, Kinsale Campus has been constantly seeking out new, creative teaching practices and collaborating with like-minded educators from across Europe. This year we hosted a group of teachers from the Basque Country, who spent three days in Kinsale learning about how teachers embed inclusion into the classroom.  

Have you an idea for a business? Looking to upskill &/or progress your career? Enhance your studies in a supportive inclusive environment. Call to see us on our Open Day Friday Sept 8th 10am – 4pm, explore the campus, meet with staff and discuss course options. Online applications for all our courses now open for September 2023.