When academia meets enterprise…

Welcoming both Irish and foreign students, the Institute of Technology, Tralee (ITT), offers a wide range full-time and part-time programmes ranging from higher education diplomas like engineering degrees to PhD level qualifications, in areas such as business, humanities and social sciences or information technology.

With Shannon Development, a government owned regional development company, the ITT run:

- The Young Entrepreneur Programme launched in 2007, which is designed to cultivate a spirit of enterprise among students in the region,

- the Endeavour Programme  launched in 2009, which seeks to fast-track the next generation of entrepreneurs.

The partnership between both organizations based on a shared vision of education/enterprise integration, has resulted as highlighted The Engineers Journal – a publication of Engineers Ireland  – in its edition of July/August 2010, in the development of one of Ireland’s most successful business environments – the Kerry Technology Park (KTP) – and international recognition for County Kerry which has been awarded the title of “European Entrepreunarial Region” of the Year 2011.