WESTMEATH STUDENTS SET FOR NATIONAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP FINAL

Local Enterprise Office Westmeath have announced that teenage entrepreneurs from Mullingar, Kilbeggan and Moate schools will represent Co Westmeath at this year’s Student Enterprise Programme National Final on Thursday 9th May.

The students all took part in the Co Westmeath Final on 5 March 2024 which was held at the Golden Island Shopping Centre, Athlone. An estimated 1000 students from Westmeath schools took part in the annual programme locally.

The enterprise education 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 over 28,000 students from just under 500 secondary schools across the country take part in 2022 / 2023.  The programme supports students to create, design and market their own business, all with the hope of reaching the National Final.

In the Senior Category of the competition, County Westmeath will be represented on May 9^th by Senior Winner Hatch It Out Chickens, from St. Finians College. The team, made up of students John Glennon, Brian Dillon and Jamie Gaffney, created a 'hatch your own chickens pack.'

In the intermediate category, the winner was Silk and Ivory from Mercy Secondary School Kilbeggan, and our junior winner was Eco Estate from Moate Community School.

Special guests at the Co Westmeath Final included Cllr. Liam McDaniel (Cathaoirleach) and Barry Kehoe, Chief Executive (Interim).

Speaking at the county final, Christine Charlton, Head of Enterprise of Local Enterprise Office Co Westmeath congratulated the students, saying “We have a very successful student enterprise programme here in Co Westmeath,with over 1000students from 13local schools taking part this year. Our national finalists are excellent ambassadors for the programme and we wish them the very best of luck on the 9^th May, and we will be there to support them.  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 at the Student Enterprise Programme National Final, taking place in the Mullingar Park Hotel on the 9 May 2024. 

Since the Student Enterprise Programme began in 2003, over 380,000 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 also has new range of online resources for 2023 / 2024 at www.StudentEnterprise.ie, which will feature regular blogs and houses a full range of Student Enterprise resources for students and teachers.   

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