Ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s is running an initiative called ‘Join our Core’, offering Irish entrepreneurs the chance to win a prize including €10,000 in cash. Ben & Jerry’s is looking for talented individuals from across Ireland who can create a business that embraces its philosophy of giving back to the community and environment. Successful entrants will get the chance to pitch their business idea to a panel of industry leaders – including Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield, and representatives from Ashoka, VSO (international development organisation) and The Fairtrade Foundation (independent certification body). Aside from the cash, the five ultimate winners will also win mentoring from Ashoka and…

IDA Ireland CEO Barry O’Leary has advised students completing their CAO application forms over the next few days to look at the areas where the greatest job opportunities will lie in FDI companies in the future. “There is a strong trend for FDI companies in Ireland winning new mandates which will require an increase in their employment levels in the future,” he said. “Students planning now for their future careers need to take this growth into account and consider in which sectors the greatest FDI job opportunities will be in the coming years.’’ According to the IDA, a large number of FDI companies seek graduates with backgrounds in science, technology,…

The Irish Technology Leadership Group (ITLG) and DCU’s Ryan Academy for Entrepreneurship are aiming to stimulate economic growth through a partnership announced today to deliver Kauffman entrepreneurship and innovation programmes in Ireland and Silicon Valley. The Missouri-based Kauffman Foundation, which was set up in the 1960s and has an asset base of around US$2bn, is a world authority on entrepreneurial innovation and economic growth. According to the foundation, over 40pc of new job growth will come from new start-up companies. The foundation works through a network of global partners to “advance an entrepreneurial society in which job creation, innovation, and the economy flourish”. The ITLG is the Irish Kauffman global…

Now in its 15th year, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Programme for 2012 has been launched with the 24 finalists from across the island of Ireland to be announced in May. Frank O’Keeffe, partner-in-charge of the programme at Ernst & Young, commented that Ireland was now trying hard to show the first real shoots of recovery and our entrepreneurs were the true “trailblazers and champions” who would reignite our economy. The programme has created a network of finalists, now made up of more than 300 entrepreneurs, which fosters collaboration, business opportunities and generates a sense of collective pride in each other’s achievements. The shortlisted entrepreneurs will go…

British retailer Marks & Spencer has announced that its group sales, excluding VAT, in the 13 weeks to December 31 were up 2.4pc. Discounts helped to attract shoppers over the Christmas season but M&S said it expects trading conditions to remain challenging and it will making additional cost savings to offset a fall in profit margins due to the discounting. Meanwhile department store Debenhams said that its group like-for-like sales in the 18 weeks to January 7 rose by 1.4pc as the warmer weather in October and November impacted the sale of seasonal product lines. Sales in December were stronger with sales growth of 6.5pc reported. The company said it…