Programme targets budding businesswomen in Gaeltacht areas

A new programme to promote and fast-track female entrepreneurship in the Gaeltacht areas of Mayo and Galway is being launched by Údarás na Gaeltachta, in partnership with the Empower Programme, a free initiative run by the Atlantic Technological University (ATU) Innovation Hubs and the Rubicon Centre at Munster Technological University (MTU).

ATU and MTU both have huge experience delivering female entrepreneurship programmes but this is the first time they are partnering on such an initiative.

This new Programme will have two parts, one of which is for females with an early stage business idea that they want to develop and grow, the other for female founders in business for 18 months or more who live in the Gaeltacht areas and want to grow and scale.

As well as Mayo and Galway, counties Donegal, Kerry, Cork, Waterford and Meath are also included in the programme.

“Last year we ran the EMPOWER Cumasú Programme with 13 females engaging. Following that success we went on to bring the rest of the EMPOWER Programme to the wider regions of the Gaeltacht across Ireland,” explains ATU’s programme coordinator, Maria Staunton.

“We are hoping to attract over 110 females over the next three years. We are looking forward to watching more female businesses develop and grow in our rural regions.” Tomás Ó Síocháin, Príomhfheidhmeannach of Údarás is equally delighted with the initiative, saying that the creation of opportunities for underrepresented groups in entrepreneurship is a key priority for his organisation.

“[It is] vital to ensure that we draw on the often untapped talent among a huge swathe of the population. Údarás is working on the next steps for those entrepreneurs as they seek to bring novel ideas to life. In doing so, this will often solve problems in their community, create local, sustainable employment and also over time develop a cohort that will create business that can seek to capture part of a global market.”