 Pauline Reid, owner of Wicklow Candles, enjoying the outdoors Gorey Community School is offering an QQI L5 Entrepreneurship for Women programme in the 2021/2022. This follows the successful launch of the programme last year – targeted at participants who qualify under the under the Back to Education (BTEI) programme. Essentially, the course is geared towards helping participants to develop the skills to become an entrepreneur and to identify and develop a new business idea. Whether they want to set up a new business or develop an existing business, this practical course helps planning the next steps, managing risks, problem solving, and outside-the-box thinking. It also develop the personal and interpersonal skills, values, and attributes needed by entrepreneurs. Wicklow Candles Female entrepreneur Pauline Reid of Wicklow Candles completed the programme last year. Pauline hand-pours and sells 100 per cent beeswax candles and wax melts and uses only natural fragrances and reusable/recyclable packaging. “One of the big breakthroughs was in problem solving in the Personal Effectiveness module – that helped me to analyse my sales patterns. I was able to identify that I had too few products and needed to add gift sets to the mix. My sales were around Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Christmas and sales would plateau for the rest of the year. So I was able to look at different strategies for consistent sales during the year – the course made me get into the nitty-gritty of my business.” The programme is targeted at women who are unemployed and want to set up their own business. Or, women who may want to progress from being an employee to running their own business. It is also suitable for women in an existing business who want to scope out a new business idea and develop extra skills to expand their business.  Candles and wax melts are hand poured using pure beeswax in Co. Wicklow Benefits of collaboration Engaging and working with fellow female entrepreneurs on the course was also an advantage. “One of the others suggested the whole wellness area to me and I have since bought a domain name catering for wellness. And I worked with others on assignments, so that helped as well.” As a result of the confidence generated by the course, Pauline was happy to be included in a gift set promotion by well-known brand Glendalough Distillery. “My products were included in gift sets being sent to social media influencers, and that was a huge opportunity to get my brand out there,” said Pauline.  Mummy-to-bee gift sets from Wicklow Candles. New product range She has since developed new products, investigated new fragrances, and is streamlining the process of making the candles and wax melts. “A larger wax melter will cut down on my operational time and give me more time for marketing,” said Pauline, who has added a digital marketing training course to her arsenal! Having just moved to a new home, Pauline is looking forward to creating even more fabulous products from her bespoke craft room. Committed to natural products and fragrances, she is committed to growing a sustainable business. “I’ve also added high-grade quality essential oils to my product range, including lavender, sweet orange, peppermint, eucalyptus, chamomile, rosemary, lemon, bergamot, geranium, and lime.” Benefits of QQI L5 course This year, the Entrepreneurship for Women certificate comprises two modules: Entrepreneurial Skills (5N1951) and Personal Effectiveness (5N1390). The practical course will get entrepreneurs thinking about key elements of their business plan, equip them with vital communication skills, and boost their personal effectiveness in group situations. Assessments are targeted at developing their business ideas, problem solving, identifying areas for growth, with an emphasis on share skills and experiences to benefit each other.  Wicklow Candles natural beeswax melts Fee and Duration
The course will run over 12 Tuesday nights and two Saturdays in the Autumn and Spring terms: total 24 nights, four Saturdays. Relevant speakers and women in existing businesses will also share information and experiences with the participants. This course is free for all qualified BTEI applicants. For further information, email Fintan Kemple, Director of Adult Education at [email protected] Tutor This course is delivered by Deirdre O’Flynn, who has run her own content creation agency for over 20 years. A businesswomen’s network facilitator, Deirdre is a member of County Wexford Chamber, and an experienced tutor of QQI modules in Communications, Customer Service, Business English, and Work Experience. She is also a committed walker! 'Investing in Your Future': This project is co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Union under the European Social Fund.
1 Comment
Leave a Reply. |
