Business 2000 was succeeding in enthusing both teachers and their students about their subjects, according to the Minister for Education and Science, Ms Hanafin.

Speaking at the annual Irish Times/Business 2000 breakfast forum in Trinity College Dublin yesterday, Ms Hanafin said the Business 2000 resource pack provided up-to-date material that was reflective of the society we live in.

She also highlighted the role played by the CD-ROM and website which accompany the Business 2000 initiative.

She said they had an "important part" to play in introducing e-learning tools to the classroom.

This was something which would be further reinforced with the roll-out of broadband to schools this year.

"Education and the world of work both play essential roles in providing students with opportunities to develop the wider life skills that are essential to their progress," she said.

"This resource is an excellent example of how the business and education communities can work together."

Now in its eighth year, The Irish Times Business 2000 resource includes a multimedia pack distributed to some 1,000 schools and more than 80 third-level institutions, north and south of the border.

It is accompanied by the Business 2000 column, which appears in the Business This Week supplement of The Irish Times every Friday during school term.

The editor of The Irish Times, Ms Geraldine Kennedy, underlined the ongoing development of the initiative since its inception.

"Business 2000 provides an invaluable link between the formal world of education and the real world of business," she added.

Other speakers at the forum included Ms Norah Martyn, president of the Business Studies Teachers' Association of Ireland, and Mr David Campbell, chief executive of Woodgrange Technologies, which oversees the Business 2000 initiative.