As organisations across Ireland continue to navigate restructuring, downsizing, and evolving business models, HR and L&D professionals are increasingly seeking solutions that protect employees while sustaining organisational reputation and long-term community impact. The Entrepreneurs Academy is addressing this challenge through its Workforce Transitioning Programmes, which have been acknowledged by the Learning & Development Institute (L&DI) for their innovation and effectiveness in responding to workforce change.
Redundancy poses significant emotional, professional, and economic strain, not only on affected employees but on HR teams tasked with guiding people through uncertainty. The impact is often magnified in smaller towns and regions where alternative employment options are limited and where a single employer can anchor an entire local economy. But even in larger urban areas, the impact can be hugely significant. The Entrepreneurs Academy Programmes offer proactive and positive solutions, reframing redundancy as a moment of possibility rather than loss.
Designed to empower employees at all levels, the programmes support individuals in exploring entrepreneurship and self-employment as a genuine, achievable next step. Participants can receive practical, accredited learning, including a QQI qualification in business planning, supported by personalised coaching and mentoring from seasoned entrepreneurs. The curriculum includes ideation development, trial trading, and validation of business ideas, ensuring participants can test and refine real-world commercial opportunities to derisk their next steps.
Why this approach works is clear: it offers structure and stability during transition, builds confidence, and creates tangible pathways to new sustainable livelihoods. Alumni benefit from a strong peer network, ongoing support, and a community that fosters long-term resilience. Employers also experience meaningful outcomes, with a recent programme seeing 100% completion, 96% of participants establishing a new business, 2% taking over an existing business, and a further 2% actively planning a business launch on completion. These results demonstrate not only the effectiveness of the programme but its capacity to create new sources of income and local employment.
For employers, the benefits reach beyond individual employee outcomes. Providing entrepreneurial transition support helps safeguard employer reputation, demonstrates genuine care for departing employees, and strengthens community ties during periods of organisational change. As one participating organisation leader, Tom Donnellan, CEO of Bord na Móna, observed, the programme represents a real “just transition”, enabling workers to create new opportunities with the potential to generate jobs for others.
HR and L&D teams seeking a forward-looking, people-centred approach to redundancy management are invited to learn more about how programmes can be tailored to their organisation’s needs.
To express interest in joining an information seminar in January, contact info@entrepreneursacademy.ie
To see an example of impact in action, explore The Entrepreneurs Academy’s work with Bord na Móna here:
https://entrepreneursacademy.ie/25-years/