BT Ireland’s sixth annual business mentoring and skills camp began yesterday at NovaUCD.

The four-day mentoring and skills camp helps to equip students with practical skills and knowledge that will show them how a creative idea can be transformed into a viable business proposition. 

For the first time, the BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp will be replicated in two additional territories, bringing the programme as far as the United Arab Emirates. BT will partner with the Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research in Abu Dhabi to host the first international BT Business Bootcamp in April. Furthermore, Queens University Belfast will host the first Northern Ireland BT Business Bootcamp later in the year. 

Thirty students were selected from over 1,200 entrants to participate in the BT Business Bootcamp. The students span 16 counties and 21 schools across the Republic of Ireland, with 15 girls and 15 boys taking part this week. 

The Bootcamp will conclude on Thursday when the teams will present their business plans to a judging panel comprised of academics and senior business professionals. 

Shay Walsh, managing director, Business, BT Ireland, said, "BT is renowned as a global leader for innovation, investing €685 million in research and development annually and employing 10,000 scientists, mathematicians, engineers and technologists around the world. Their talent and commercially-focused skills are what helps drive our business.  With the BT Business Bootcamp we wanted to help students bridge that gap between education and business and we’ve seen some fantastic evidence over the years of how we have helped to facilitate this learning."

For more visit: www.businessworld.ie