Border Firms Launched New Cross-Border Student Initiative
Businesses are partnering with schools to host workplace visits and roundtables for students aged 16 to 18.
Updated on Sept. 21, 2026 in Internships
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Business in the Community Ireland and Business in the Community Northern Ireland have launched the Cross-Border Careers initiative to support young people in border communities. Funded by the Shared Island Civic Society Fund, the program facilitates workplace visits and industry roundtables.
Why it matters
The initiative aims to improve social mobility and strengthen ties between schools and regional employers. By formalizing these connections, companies can build talent pipelines while addressing the specific economic integration challenges faced in border areas.
The initiative serves students aged 16 to 18 across the border counties of Armagh, Monaghan, Fermanagh, Cavan, Tyrone, and Donegal. Funding for these outreach activities is provided by the Shared Island Civic Society Fund.
The players
Business in the Community Ireland
A non-profit organization that facilitates partnerships between businesses and local communities to improve social mobility.
Combilift
An international material handling equipment manufacturer that provides workplace exposure for students.
Kingspan
A global manufacturer of high-performance insulation and building envelope solutions that hosts student site visits.
The details
The program utilizes a structure of paired schools and regional businesses to facilitate direct industry exposure. Companies such as Combilift and Kingspan act as hosts, providing students with structured workplace visits to gain firsthand insight into local operations. Beyond site visits, the initiative hosts business roundtables to align the needs of regional employers with the career development of local students.
Timeline
September 29, 2026: Business roundtable event in Enniskillen.
November 17, 2026: Workplace visit to Combilift for students from St Catherine's College and Largy College.
Late 2026: Career showcase webinar for participating students.
Market Landscape
This program aligns with the objectives of the Shared Island Civic Society Fund to foster cross-border cooperation. It marks a shift from informal corporate social responsibility toward structured industry-education partnerships in regions previously characterized by economic fragmentation.
Operators in border regions should assess whether their current community engagement strategies effectively address regional labor gaps. Managers should evaluate the costs and benefits of formalizing school partnerships to improve local talent recruitment and retention.
The takeaway
Effective regional outreach requires deliberate coordination between industry leaders and the local education system to align student expectations with labor market needs. Operators should monitor the results of these early workplace visits to determine if similar programs could serve their workforce development goals.
What happens next
A career showcase webinar for participating students is scheduled for late 2026.
Further reading
For broader insights into developing professional development programs, see our latest coverage on Internships.
Source note: This article includes information reported by NorthernSound.
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