Local Enterprise Office Limerick confirms that winning teenage entrepreneurs from Newcastlewest and Limerick City will represent county at National Final of Student Enterprise Programme

9 teenage entrepreneurs from 2 local schools have won a place representing Limerick at the Student Enterprise Programme National Finals in Croke Park on Friday, May 3^rd.

Every September through Local Enterprise Office Limerick, entrepreneurial secondary school students begin their business journey as they are encouraged to research, set-up and run their own real-world businesses.

The enterprise education initiative, funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland and delivered by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities, is the most successful student enterprise programme of kind in the country. An estimated 26,000 students from 490 schools around the country begin their entrepreneurial journey every year with the help of their teachers, student enterprise co-ordinators and Local Enterprise Office.

The students were all competing at the Limerick Final on Tuesday 26^th of March, which was held at the Southcourt Hotel, Raheen. Over 1000 students from 20 schools took part in the annual programme locally.

In the Junior Category, the students representing Limerick at the National Finals in Croke Park are: “Georgeous Gruaig” at Laurel Hill Coláiste.

In the Intermediate Category, Hy-Geenie from Desmond College will be representing the county in Croke Park.

In the Senior Category of the competition Limerick will be represented on May 3^rd by “Safety Harness Attachment also from Desmond College.

Special guests at the Limerick Final included Cllr James Collins, Mayor of Limerick City & County. Judges on the day were Pat Rickard, Accountant, Mark Sheahan of Recycle Right, Chris Kelly of Pinpoint Innovations and Chris Clancy & Norma Purtill of the LEO.

Speaking at the county final, Eamon Ryan, Head of Entreprise of Local Enterprise Office Limerick, congratulated the students, saying “We have a very successful student enterprise programme here in Limerick, with over 1000 students from 21 local schools taking part this year. Our national finalists are excellent ambassadors for the programme and we wish them the very best of luck in Croke Park on May 3^rd.”

He continued: “What our students are learning from the programme is that with the right supports and encouragement, they can take an idea from the classroom and develop it into a real-life business. The skills they learn along the way, such as business planning, market research, selling and team-work, will help them become more entrepreneurial throughout their future careers”.

The local students will be competing against hundreds of other student entrepreneurs from all over Ireland in Croke Park at the Annual Student Enterprise Programme National Finals on May 3^rd. 

Further information around the Student Enterprise Programme is available from www.studententerprise.ie and by searching #studententerprise on social media.

Junior Winners:- “Georgeous Gruaig” from Laurel Hill Coláiste

Intermediate Winners: Hy-Geenie from Desmond College

Senior Winners:- Safety Harness Attachment also from Desmond College.

Names of participating schools in Student Enterprise Programme

Full Results as follows:

About the Student Enterprise Programme (studententerprise.ie)

The Student Enterprise Programme is co-ordinated by the Local Enterprise Offices and involves over 26,000 students from 490 secondary schools every year. It runs from September to May and the 2018/2019 National Final takes place on Friday, May 3^rd, 2019 in Dublin’s Croke Park.                                                                               

1. / #studententerprise / @StudentEntProg

The Local Enterprise Offices are co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Regional Development Fund 2014-2020.