Irish Funds Financial Literacy TY Programme: Industry Lead Contributions and Future Leaders

Just before the St. Patricks weekend we held four sessions for our Irish Funds Financial Literacy TY Programme across the country. Eibhlin Johnston, the programme's lead facilitator, visited 40 + inquisitive students from Dublin, Limerick and Cork to encourage the next generation of future leaders to get curious about the financial industry with Deloitte's support. 

Castletroy College 

We were in Limerick twice last week with Linda O'Neill (Northern Trust), whose story about working in hospitality and retraining to work in tax really inspired the students. We then moved on to an in-depth discussion about stocks and shares and the concept of supply and demand. It was a very enthusiastic and engaged first session! They aced our kahoots and looked forward to seeing the growth in the portfolios.  

In our second session, we introduced them to Alex, our mascot, and we reviewed their portfolios. Eibhlin encouraged those who had initially had low levels of interest in the portfolios to invest in their hobbies, for example, makeup brands like L’Oreal and football clubs like Manchester United. This made a huge difference with more of the group embracing the lesson. 

Colaiste Mhuire A.G. 

Once again, Peter Higgins (Clearstream) joined us in Cork to complete another engaging session. We reviewed their portfolios, and were impressed by their aptitude and curiosity. The students here really stood out and reminded us that we are talking to our future leaders. We are energised by what we see and are pleased with the positive impact the programme is making in schools across Ireland. 

Colaiste Na Reachrann 

We finished our final module in Colaiste na Reachrann this week (pictured above) with Veronica Weir (Pinebridge). We have now completed eight schools. We are continuing to follow up with industry leads about getting our especially eager students some experience in the financial industry. We are so grateful to have industry leads to help us give out these opportunities that may not otherwise be accessible. 

Approaching Easter Break 

We are reaching the final stretch of our programme for the year and will be visiting at least four more schools. We are looking forward to meeting our next groups of inspiring students.