Inspiring Futures: A Strong Start to 2026

The first half of 2026 has been an exciting period for Inspiring the Future Ireland (ITFI), with over 850 young people across Tallaght and Clondalkin taking part in activities designed to inspire ambition, build confidence and connect education with future careers.
Over the past six months, ITFI has delivered a wide range of career-focused initiatives, including career talks, STEM and employability workshops, university visits, employer engagement programmes and work placements, reaching hundreds of students across primary and post-primary schools.
One of the highlights of the year was the launch of our first Transition Year programme with Echelon, giving students valuable insight into careers in technology and engineering. The programme proved so successful that participants have since progressed to mentoring and work placement opportunities.
Our long-standing partnership with Bank of America also continued to make a real impact, with students from St. Aidan’s Community School completing a year-long programme that culminated in work experience at the company’s offices. Through hands-on activities and direct engagement with professionals, students gained valuable workplace skills and a greater understanding of future career pathways.
Innovation and digital skills were another key focus, with almost 200 young people and community participants attending our inaugural Discovering Digital event at the Civic Theatre. The event showcased emerging technologies and introduced young people to exciting opportunities within the digital sector.
Environmental education also remained a priority, with primary school pupils taking part in biodiversity projects, nature-based learning activities and visits that explored sustainability and environmental careers.
These achievements have been made possible through the support of our schools, volunteers, funders and employer partners. We would like to extend a special thanks to Google, whose financial support has been instrumental in making this work possible and enabling us to create meaningful opportunities for young people across our communities. We are also grateful for the ongoing support and collaboration of partners including Bank of America, Echelon, TU Dublin, Takeda, DFHERIS, Cairn Homes, Microsoft, Amazon, Let’s Get Digital and many others who continue to share their expertise, time and resources with students.
Together, we are helping young people broaden their horizons, build confidence and make informed decisions about their futures.
As we move into the second half of the year, we look forward to expanding these opportunities even further through new STEM, careers and employer engagement initiatives, helping even more young people realise their potential and build brighter futures. 🌟