TEAMS from Northern Ireland's top companies are poised to pit their entrepreneurial skills against each other in the recently launched Prince's Trust 'Million Makers' competition.
Over the next six months business teams from Capita, Translink, ShredBank and Concentrix will each aim to turn £1,500 of seed funding from a 'Dragons Den'-style investment into £10,000 to help young people into work.
The initiative has raised over £7 million for the Prince's Trust in the seven years it has been running, with £350,000 having been used to support unemployed and disadvantaged young people in the north.
Speaking at the launch, John Lundy, executive and business support manager with Translink, commended the competition which has supported more than 187,000 young people during the last 25 years.
"We are delighted to be taking part in 'Million Maker's to raise funds for The Prince's Trust," he said.
"As a leading business in Northern Ireland in terms of corporate responsibility, our staff have supported a range of charity initiatives in recent years.
"We have been encouraged by the tremendous level of enthusiasm and commitment our graduate team have shown for this scheme which is also helping to support their training programme."
The competition is supported by Capita in Northern Ireland who operations director Darryl Hill said it was a real 'game-changer' for those who need it most.
"Our partnership with The Prince’s Trust allows us to make real change in addressing the skills gap in Northern Ireland as we work together to improve the lives of disadvantaged young people and transform the future of our next generation of workers," he said.
"Million Makers is also an opportunity for companies to engage, inspire and motivate employees to develop many transferable skills such as leadership, motivation and decision making, while generating funds to help young people turn their lives around."
