Student(s) from two Co. Carlow schools have taken prizes in this year’s Student Enterprise Programme National Finals. The Finals of the Local Enterprise Office initiative took place on Thursday last in Mullingar.
Supported by Local Enterprise Office Carlow, the students from Tullow Community School won Best Business Website Award in the Senior Student Enterprise Category. The winning students were Adam Cleary, Michael Ryan, Markuss Ragelis, Adam Laaraichi-Byrne, Thomas Fitzgerald, who worked under the guidance of their teacher, Brian Larkin. Their student enterprise was called: Flippin’ Cathy which involved gaining rights to sell a device that sticks to your phone to almost any surface multiple times.
In addition, a student from Presentation De La Salle College Bagenalstown won the My Entrepreneurial Journey award in the Junior Level Student Enterprise Category. The Winning student was Isabelle Kearney wo worked under the guidance of her teacher, Ms. Caroline McHale. Isabelle’s student enterprise was the development of a business concept called “Healthy Horses” which markets a revolutionary range of wormers called “Worm Away”.
There were 81 student businesses in contention across three main categories for the Final in what is Ireland’s largest entrepreneurship programme for second level students. The initiative, funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland and delivered by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities throughout the country, saw 28,000 students from almost 500 secondary schools across the country take part.
Peter Burke, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, who took part in the ceremony, congratulated the students today; “Congratulations to everyone who made it to today’s National Finals. With over 28,000 students taking part in this year’s programme, it is a huge achievement to make it to the Finals and shows a real flair for entrepreneurship. Some amazing businesses and entrepreneurs have come from this programme – the majority did not win any prizes but are still running successful businesses today. So, to those of you who won something today, a huge congratulations, but most importantly, to you all, this is the first step on the path, you are the entrepreneurs and business leaders of the future, and everyone here today is excited to see what you do next.”
Sarah Byrne, Business Advisor, Local Enterprise Office Carlow said; “Year on year the Student Enterprise Programme continues to showcase the very best of Irish ingenuity and entrepreneurship amongst our secondary school students. This year produced a varied selection of businesses, from agricultural products and homemade gifts to pet apps and seaweed harvesting and some amazing winners across the board We see every year that the National Finals are not an end point for our student entrepreneurs, but a steppingstone on the next stage of their entrepreneurial journey. From our class of 23/24 we hope to see some of our next great wave of Irish business leaders and global entrepreneurs emerge.”
Cathaoirleach Andrea Dalton said: “"To all the students who took part in the Student Enterprise Programme, I want to extend my congratulations on your exceptional achievements as the standards this year at both county and national level was exceptional. Always keep in mind, resilience is the foundation of success, and embracing challenges leads to new pathways. Stay steadfast, keep pushing your boundaries, as therein lies your greatest potential. I also want to extend my congratulations to both the winning schools, parents and teachers, for their invaluable support to the students on their exciting entrepreneurial journey.
"To all the students who've been part of the Student Enterprise journey, let me extend my heartfelt congratulations on your remarkable achievements so far. Always remember, resilience paves the road to success, and embracing risks opens doors to new horizons. Stay determined, keep challenging yourselves, for therein lies the essence of your remarkable potential."
The National Final students, who competed across three categories, Junior, Intermediate and Senior, were all attendance on the day exhibiting their businesses which were judged by a team of national businesses experts and mentors. Each student enterprise was challenged with creating, setting up and running their own business, which must show sales of their service or product. The judging panel included business owners and representatives from enterprise agencies and associated bodies.
The Student Enterprise Programme is open to students of all ages at secondary levels, with three separate categories - Junior (1st year), Intermediate (2nd and 3rd year) and Senior (4th, 5th, and 6th year, LVA, LCA and Youth Outreach).
The three main category winners on the day were: ‘Finnegan Fabrication High Lift’ from St. Patrick’s Classical School, Navan, representing Local Enterprise Office Meath (Senior Category Winner), ‘’Esker Timber Creations” from Presentation College Athenry representing Local Enterprise Office Galway (Intermediate Category Winner), and ‘Carry Camán’ from Presentation Secondary School Castleisland representing Local Enterprise Office Kerry (Junior Category Winner).
Last year’s winner of the Student Enterprise Programme were Josh McCormack and Evan McNeil from Roscommon Community College, the founders and designers of “MC Compactors”, a stainless-steel device which enables users to easily compact rubbish in standard wheelie bins. The device works with all standard household wheelie bins, allowing users to compress their waste, facilitating greater capacity within the household bin.
The Student Enterprise Programme is funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland and delivered by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities throughout the country. Since the Student Enterprise Programme began in 2003, over 400,000 students have taken part, learning key skills on how to create a business idea, start a business and grow a business.
The Student Enterprise Programme is one of several initiatives that the Local Enterprise Offices run to foster entrepreneurship across the country. Others include Local Enterprise Week, the National Enterprise Awards, National Women’s Enterprise Day, and Local Enterprise Showcase. The Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities are funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland.
For further information:
Local Enterprise Office Carlow
Tel: 059 9129783
PREVIOUS STUDENT ENTERPRISE PROGRAMME WINNERS
2023
Junior - Grasper – Drumshanbo Vocational School, Leitrim
Intermediate - Clip Clop Designs – Moyne Community School, Longford
Senior - McCompactors – Roscommon Community College, Roscommon
2022
Junior – Sew Stylish - Brigid’s College, Callan
Intermediate – Earrings by Aoibheann- Loreto College, Dalkey
Senior – Barrelda – St. Patrick’s Classical School, Navan
2021
Junior – Go Green Now – Salerno Secondary School, Galway
Intermediate – T-Snappi – Summerhill College, Sligo
Senior – Coppercase – St. Macartan’s College, Monaghan
2020
Junior – Sofatop – Ballybay Community College, Monaghan
Intermediate – Aim It Board – Loreto College, Dublin City
Senior – Handy Hose – CBS Thurles, Tipperary
2019
Junior – Specrest – Educate Together, Portmarnock
Intermediate – Crios Mhadra – Presentation Secondary, Castleisland, Kerry
Senior – Smooth Remove – Boherbue Comprehensive, North Cork
2018
Junior – Complete Camán – Presentation Secondary School, CastleIsland, Kerry
Intermediate – Lift Arm Assist – CBS Kilkenny
Senior – Abbey Bread – Cistercian College, Roscrea, Offaly
2017
Junior – Daisy’s Pawesome Bowties – Our Lady’s Secondary School, Drogheda
Intermediate – Scott Engine Tables - Ciliate Chill Mhantáin, Rathnew, Wicklow
Senior – ROC Protection – Clonkeen College, Blackrock, Dublin
