For the third consecutive year, Farrans proudly supported Catalyst's largest-ever Generation Innovation, with its volunteers present daily on-site to assist teams in tackling a company challenge.

Over 750 young people, with a passion for innovation, took part in Catalyst’s free work experience programme, Generation Innovation, the highest number of participants since the programme was established in 2018.

At the conclusion of the week, two teams were selected to present their final pitches to Farrans' panel of experts at the Farrans Sacyr site located at Belfast Grand Central Station. Spanning three locations in Northern Ireland, this programme for 17-18-year-olds empowers, enables and upskills young individuals for the future workplace. They gain valuable real-world experience by collaborating with 41 of Northern Ireland’s most dynamic businesses.

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Over the course of the four- or five-day programmes in L'Derry, Belfast and Dungannon, participants worked together to solve a real-life company challenge, develop a solution and pitch the final idea to the company and their peers, allowing for constructive feedback and potential future employment introductions.

Ally Armstrong, Generation Innovation Programme Manager at Catalyst said: "The Generation Innovation programme has grown immensely since it began six years ago, showing the demand and real interest from young people to learn more about innovation, entrepreneurship and how the business world works here in Northern Ireland.

"We were delighted to run our biggest programme yet this year, with over 800 participants and 41 partners supporting and sharing expertise across sessions in Derry~Londonderry, Belfast and Dungannon. The feedback from both participants and partners has been very positive with valuable skills learned and connections made for the future."

Jack Kearney, a Generation Innovation participant stated: "The Generation Innovation programme was extremely beneficial and gave me insights to the world of business that I haven’t been exposed to before. I found being surrounded by so many like-minded people and getting one-to-one time with businesses a real learning experience and has further fuelled my passion for innovation. I would recommend any young person with an interest in innovation and entrepreneurship to apply for Generation Innovation because the skills you learn and the people you meet will be so valuable when transitioning into the world of work."