SETU Bachelor of Business students took a trip to the EU Parliament in Brussels, presenting their research on rural Irish towns to MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú as part of their Business Internship Project.
Business Internship Project
Groups from the Bachelor of Business in International Business, Bachelor of Business in Marketing and Bachelor of Science in Digital Marketing and Analytics on SETU’s campus in Carlow, took part in a Business Internship Project which ran in tandem with the Town Centre First policy. The project allowed students to engage in collaborative research with a town team as they researched procedures, plans and initiatives in local towns and created recommendations to help rejuvenate Irish communities.
The project is supervised by Dr Sharon Harris Byrne, Una Grant and Dr Andrea McNamara. It is in place of a traditional work experience module and allows students to engage in industry activities, learn about the region and provide solutions to real world problems facing rural towns and villages.
Bringing the project to the European Parliament
The third-year students attended the European Parliament in Brussels, to present their research findings to the European Committee of the Regions and seek recommendations to complete the project. During the trip Tadhg Browne and Micheál Ó’Conchúir outlined some key initiatives that can benefit towns and villages in Ireland, including EU Cycling Declaration, Air B&B, SMART Towns and EU Representatives on local councils.
Speaking about the trip, Dr Eileen Doyle-Walsh, Head (Carlow) Faculty of Business at SETU, said, “Our students had a very successful trip to the European Parliament in Brussels, earlier this year. During this trip, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú welcomed our SETU students and lecturers, as part of their Business Internship Project module. The students presented their recommendations from the SETU Town Centre First project and their presentation highlighted the vital role of regional and community engagement in addressing societal challenges and revitalising town centres – a theme that resonates strongly across Europe. This project stands as an example of best practice in involving key stakeholders in informing actions to address these pressing issues.”
Visit from Cynthia Ní Mhurchú MEP
After the trip to Brussels, MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú visited SETU’s campus in Carlow to learn of the recommendations provided by the students. The visit allowed students to hold a question and answers session and delve deeper into the impact the research will have on the region and wider rural development.
Eileen Doyle-Walsh, said, “Our Year three International Business and Marketing students had the honour of hosting MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú at SETU. The visit strengthened SETU’s community engagement and connections with MEPs. Students have gained valuable exposure to travel, insights into parliamentary operations and the positive impact the EU has on communities.”
Student learning with real-world impact
For the module students were split into two groups, with one researching Bagenalstown in County Carlow, while the other group looked at Ballylinan in County Laois.
The community-led research strengthened the collaboration between SETU and the wider southeast region. With students from Ireland, France, Canada, Germany, China and Ukraine, each group brought their own perspective and ideas to the project. Students collected data on areas like accessibility, car parking, land use and workshops for the youth and elderly.
