Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 April 2017
780. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of young persons under 25 years of age supported by the county enterprise boards and Microfinance Ireland micro loans in 2015 and 2016, in tabular form. [18079/17]
View answerSince the dissolution of the County Enterprise Boards in April 2014, the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) are the ‘first-stop-shop’ for providing advice and guidance, financial assistance and ‘soft supports’ to those wishing to start or grow their own business. The LEO services include an extensive range of high-quality training and mentoring supports which are tailored to meet specific business requirements, regardless of age. LEO data is compiled in accordance with the supports provided and is not categorised according to specific age groups.
In addition to the standard LEO supports, the LEOs also run Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) Programme which is aimed at 18 to 35 year olds, with an investment fund of €2 million. Now in its third year, IBYE has attracted an increasing number of entries, and this year’s competition attracted 1,842 applications - a 32% increase on last year. In the course of the competition, participants benefit from business advice, mentoring, boot camps and the opportunity to compete for significant investment funding to support the development of their business or idea. The numbers of young persons under 25 years of age who received such supports in the course of the competitions in 2015 and 2016/2017, and the number of Microfinance Ireland (MFI) loans drawn down by persons in that age category are set down in the table below.
|
IBYE |
2015 |
2016 |
|
Business advice, mentoring and participation in bootcamps. |
400 |
548 |
|
MFI loans drawn down |
13 |
28 |
