I thank the Chairman for inviting us here today. We met a number of members in Buswells Hotel in June. I am the schools business partnership programme manager at Business in the Community Ireland. I have been seconded there since 2003 from a school in Drumcondra. My colleague, Mr. Thomas Sercovich, is our membership services manager.
Business in the Community Ireland is the leading business network to work with companies on corporate responsibility. We work with them on their corporate responsibility journey and help them improve their sustainability practices. Mr. Sercovich and I are delighted to be here with a good news story for Ireland, which is important and beneficial to the committee.
Since the conversation arose ten years ago, the schools business partnership has been matching schools at risk, that is, school completion programme schools, with large corporations and engaging them in many programmes. We are concerned with educational inclusion and bringing the power of business to bear on that. We have six programmes: skills at work; student mentoring; management excellence for principals; management excellence for teachers; time to read for primary school students; and work placements.
We have outlined the macro factors in the briefing document. The logos are a who's who of Irish business, from the multinational sector and successful indigenous companies. More than 18,000 students have participated. We opened our principals development programme to all 733 post-primary schools, not just those at risk. They love it and two thirds of them have participated in the programme.
In terms of bringing a person's story to life, the committee can see some pictures in the presentation. One shows students from Crumlin with John Sisk & Son. They watched the Aviva stadium being built. I was in Ballygowan yesterday. It is a fabulous Irish brand and another picture shows students on a site visit in Newcastle West. The ESB is showing off its electric car to students in Ballyfermot. Remarkably, Cisco Systems in East Point business park had a video conference from the UK with local students in Marino College showing them how to prepare for interviews. It is fantastic and positive.
The key success factor for Ireland over the past decade has been the support of Government. It is a true partnership at local, regional and national level. Ministers have always supported it and it is a bedrock. Our partnership with the Department of Education and Skills and our future partnership with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs involve openness, honesty and trust.
The programme has been showcased as a model of best practice at European Commission and OECD level. The French and Czech presidencies showcased it. I was in the Czech Republic a month ago and it is now replicating the model. Representatives have come to Ireland and we have shown it to them. The last European Commissioner for education, training and culture, Ján Figel, invited Batt O'Keeffe to make a statement to the European Council of Ministers in May 2010, which was remarkable. The Commission is very interested in the project. What Ireland is doing is second to none and is leading the way in member states.
Some of the comments made by participants are contained in the presentation. The students love it and feel it is helping them. It is as good for business as it is for schools in Ireland and they get just as much out of it. There is a new openness in school leadership in Ireland. There is a thirst for learning and people are interested in breaking down the walls with businesses to hear how business leaders approach the leadership and management functions.
We conduct evaluations annually with all our stakeholders. The feedback loop is critical for continually improving what we are doing. I am interested in hearing what the committee thinks we should be doing. It is a matching funding model. The Government pays half and all participating businesses pay. We have a fabulous lead sponsor in Marks and Spencer Ireland.
In terms of the EU 2020 strategy, as we know, the Council has set out that education and training are a fundamental part. The two major initiatives are youth on the move and the agenda for new skills and jobs. What Ireland is doing dovetails with that. The schools business partnership is trying to reduce the dropout rate from 14% to 10%. We are trying to have closer collaboration between the public sector, industry and education.
We are also assisting on the European platform against poverty because the students we work with are those most disadvantaged and at risk. We are assisting the European Commission on its headline target. The committee has a great opportunity to promote what Ireland is doing. We would like to assist it. I will hand over to Mr. Sercovich to discuss the Business Working Responsibly Mark.