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New J.C. Business Studies Specification

The Student Enterprise Programme (SEP) and New Junior Cycle Business Studies Specification

Entrepreneurship enhances the quality of our collective and our individual lives, often changing the way we work, volunteer, communicate and actually live.

Enterprise is an integral part of the Junior Cycle Business Studies. The JC Business studies provides an awareness, insight and positive attitude to entrepreneurship, demonstrating how it can improve our lives, adding value to goods, services and all the add on effects on institutions. It also supports the expansion of analytical and critical thinking skills, encouraging students to be problem solvers. It reinforces the development of students’ numeracy, literacy and digital technology skills by providing a real-life context for their application. Students will develop a ‘can do’ attitude and this subject will help them to fulfil their potential in their personal and professional lives, both now, as a student and into the future as a responsible citizen.

There are 3 strands in JC Business Studies and all 3 are inter-connected.

  1. Personal Finance focuses on students making informed decisions to effectively and responsibly manage their financial resources.
  2. Enterprise encourages students to identify opportunities and develops an understanding of the financial, marketing and operational functions of an organisation.
  3. Our Economy enables students to understand the dynamic relationship between the local, national and international economic situation.

The Student Enterprise Programme (SEP) provides students with an opportunity to take the learning experience outside the classroom as they identify opportunities and convert them into practical businesses. In addition the SEP could generate material for the student’s Classroom-Based Assessments:

Classroom-Based Assessments (CBAs)

  1. CBA 1 Business in Action, a group project towards end of second year and students have a four week period to complete this CBA. It is to be completed in groups of three to five students and there are three options available:
    1. Enterprise in Action
    2. Economics in Action
    3. Finance in Action
  2. CBA 2 Presentation, at end of first term in third year over a three week period. Individual presentation of 3 minute duration. Following the CBA2, students complete a reflective Assessment Task. The Assessment Task is assessed by the State Examinations Commission (SEC). It will be allocated 10% of the marks used to determine the final examination grade awarded by the SEC.

Finally, participating in the Student Enterprise Programme will support students in preparing for the final JC Business Studies state-certified examination.

The SEP is also designed to enhance the teaching and learning of entrepreneurship in senior cycle too. The programme also supports Enterprise Modules within Senior Cycle Programmes including Transition Year (TY), Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA), the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) and students following Leaving Certificate Business and Accounting