Design+ Technology Gateway based at SETU Carlow recently hosted 42 Transition Year students from Tyndall College Carlow and Presentation College Carlow as part of the Ignition 25 Innovation Programme.
The six-day programme, facilitated by Richard Whyte, Business Development Manager at Design+, and Kinga Pestka, Design Strategist, aimed to nurture creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurial thinking among students. They were supported by team members and PhD students Chloe Johnston and Dudu Geng, who helped guide students through hands-on activities and design thinking exercises.
Breaking barriers for young people
Speaking about the initiative, Richard Whyte said, “The Ignition Innovation Programme is designed to break barriers and introduce young individuals to design thinking, ensuring they have the tools, resources, and opportunities needed to develop their future ideas, whether social or entrepreneurial.”
A research-based approach to creativity
The national Entrepreneurship Summer Camp Initiative is supported and funded by the Higher Education Authority (HEA). Ignition 25 (one of 32 approved for support under this initiative in 2025) was designed, developed, and delivered by Kinga Pestka, who also had the pleasure of facilitating the inaugural Ignition Programme last year.
Kinga Pestka stated “The Ignition Innovation programme shifted focus this year. Research shows that creativity is highly undervalued in education, so Ignition 25 placed greater emphasis on critical thinking, innovation, and hands-on learning. We wanted to provide students with the skills and opportunity to explore creative problem-solving and the design thinking process, and ultimately apply it to their own ventures, whether life or business oriented.”
Promoting creativity and hands-on engagement
The Design Thinking framework guided students through practical activities that encouraged a safe and collaborative space for ideas. By designing, testing, and refining their concepts, students developed resilience, adaptability, and a deeper understanding of complex problem-solving, skills that are increasingly vital in modern education.
Developing future innovators
Over the six days, students learned to identify and evaluate innovative opportunities through the five stages of design thinking:
• Empathising with users
• Defining problems
• Ideating solutions
• Prototyping concepts
• Testing ideas
These stages fostered essential skills across sustainable design, creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship, helping students build a well-rounded foundation for future study and career development.
The Ignition 25 Programme continues to inspire and empower young people to think differently, create fearlessly, and lead the way in shaping a more innovative future.
For more information, contact richard.whyte@setu.ie