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Record Year For SEP Alumni Anthony O’Gorman

Projected product sales of 15,000 units in 2024…. Supplier to 138 Dunnes Stores & 180 Lidl branches Nationwide …. Huge growth in online sales to Irish living abroad … Featured on The Late Late Toy Show …

It’s not Christmas at SEP until we see the adorable wooden reindeers from Anthony’s Wooden Crafts on full display in retail outlets across the country!

Anyone who has been to Dunnes Stores shopping at Christmas time in recent years will recognise the wooden reindeers in this picture! Since 2021 Anthony has been supplying his wooden reindeers to Dunnes Stores outlets across the country.
And we are delighted to let you know that you are going to see many more over the coming weeks as Anthony is now being stocked by Lidl nationwide in the run up to Christmas!

What started as an idea for his student enterprise business in school to help him buy a new mobile phone has led this enterprising young Offaly man to becoming a very successful entrepreneur at just 19 years of age, supplying supermarkets nationwide and selling to customers online across the globe. Over the years Anthony has expanded his product range to include a range of bespoke wooden garden furniture including planters, ornaments, wishing wells, see-saws and more.

Anthony is a great example of where determination, hard work and perseverance can take you.

This young Irish entrepreneur has received many awards over the past five years for his excellence in enterprise, including the Offaly Local Enterprise Awards One-To-Watch Award. He was also a finalist in the Tullamore Chamber Awards Best Start-Up category.

Anthony’s business mantras include:

“If you don’t think BIG don’t be surprised if you stay small”
                                              &
“Face the pain of discipline because the pain of regret is 10 times worse”

Wise words for over 28,000 students taking part in this year’s programme.

 Check out Anthony’s full range of Christmas and Summer products on his website www.anthonyswoodcrafts.com

STUDENTS ENCOURAGED TO SIGN-UP FOR IRELAND’S TOP TEEN ENTERPRISE PROGRAMME

Second level schools across the country are being encouraged to sign-up for this year’s Student Enterprise Programme (SEP) which will see over 28,000 students nationally set-up and run a mini enterprise over the course of the academic year.

The Student Enterprise Programme has been a staple on the secondary school calendar for over 20 years with many students continuing their entrepreneurial journey long after they leave school, making their mark on the business world.

An initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices, the Student Enterprise Programme is the country’s largest enterprise programme for second level students, with this year marking the 23rd year of the hugely successful programme.  It has had over 400,000 participants since its inception.  It’s expected that almost 28,000

students from approximately 500 second level schools across the country will take part this year.

Students from 1^st year to 6^th year can enter in the Junior, Intermediate and Senior categories.  Participants will learn how to create and run their own business, picking up key skills along the way such as ideation, marketing, finance and sales.

The Programme is run through the network of Local Enterprise Offices, supported by Enterprise Ireland and the local authorities, with local coordinators in every area to support teachers and students through the year of the programme, which helps foster entrepreneurship in students and gives them key skills they can bring with them into later life.

Enterprise teacher Gareth Mc Mahon from St. Patrick’s Classical School in Navan, whose student Seán Finnegan took top place in the senior category at the 2024 National Student Enterprise Final says taking part in the SEP is a great way for schools to give their students the opportunity to put the theory of business into practice in real life situations.

He says the benefits for schools taking part are immense – “The Student Enterprise Programme brings the business book to life and unlocks the creativity, talent and entrepreneurship within our students. The benefits to the school are also immense including local and national PR opportunities and in-school guest speakers throughout the year. I would highly recommend other teachers to get involved”.

Seán Finnegan, through his business Finnegan Fabrication High Lift, designed and manufactured a highly innovative portable crane that can be fitted to the interior of commercial vans to help workers lift heavy materials in and out of the vehicle.

The Intermediate Award went to Esker Timber Creations from Presentation College Athenry in Galway. The business, set up by student Cormac Monaghan, manufactures unique wooden products from repurposed pallet wood.

In the Junior category the award went to Carry Camán. The business, set up by Marguerite Herlihy, Seána Walsh, Clodagh Buckley and Lucy Matassa from Presentation Secondary School Castleisland in Kerry, is a high-visability hurley and sliotar holder. It enables users to easily carry their hurling equipment and is also highly visible for those who may walk or cycle to training and matches.

 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 also has a new range of online resources for 2024/2025 at www.StudentEnterprise.ie, which will feature regular blogs and houses a full range of Student Enterprise resources for students and teachers.

And The Winners Are ……

HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to all our 2024 National Final Winners!!!

JUNIOR CATEGORY

Overall Winner:
Carry Camán, Presentation Secondary School, Castleisland, Kerry

Best Innovation Award:

DCA Machinery Lighting, Drumshanbo Vocational School, Leitrim

Best Sales & Marketing Award: 

CS Hurls, St. Patrick’s Classical School, Navan, Westmeath

One-To-Watch Award:

The Easy Carrier, Our Lady’s Secondary School, Belmullet, Mayo

Intermediate Category

Overall Winner:
Esker Timber Creations, Presentation College, Athenry, Galway

Best Innovation Award:

HP Enterprise, Colaiste Mhuire Co-Ed, Thurles, Tipperary

Best Sales & Marketing Award:

Gloine Mara, Colaiste Abhainn Ri, Kilkenny

 One-To-Watch Award:
Love Cobh Colouring, Colaiste Muire, Cobh, South Cork

Senior Category

Overall Winner:
Finnegan Fabrication High Lift, St. Patrick’s Classical School, Navan, Meath

Best Innovation Award:

Tankit, CBS Thurles, Tipperary

Best Sales & Marketing Award:

 DJS Engineering, Kinsale Community School, South Cork

One-To-Watch Award:
Sheehan Exterior Clean, Patrician Academy, Mallow

Folens SMART Business Award (Junior Category):

Kellogg’s Green, Loreto Secondary School, Wicklow

Folens SMART Business Award (Senior Category):

The Scented Pen, Scoil Mhuire, Buncrana, Donegal

.IE Best Business Website Award:

Flippin’ Catchy, Tullow Community School, Carlow

CPA Ireland Finance Award: 

Dripfeed, St. Macartan’s College, Monaghan

EPA Sustainability Award (Junior Category):

Green Hoof, Colaiste Dun an Ri, Cavan

EPA Sustainability Award (Intermediate Category):

Esker Timber Creations, Presentation College Athenry, Galway

EPA Sustainability Award (Senior Category):

Eco Fire, Creagh College, Gorey, Wexford

Intellectual Property Awareness Award (Junior Category):

Carry Camán, Presentation Secondary School, Castleisland, Kerry

Intellectual Property Awareness Award (Intermediate Category):

Leine Lufar, Castleisland Community College, Kerry

Intellectual Property Awareness Award (Senior Category):

Tankit, CBS Thurles, Tipperary

 Technology In Action Award:

My Pet Pal, Holy Child, Killiney

My Entrepreneurial Journey Awards (Junior Category):

Worm Away/Healthy Horses, Presentation De La Salle, Bagenalstown, Carlow

My Entrepreneurial Journey Awards (Intermediate Category): 

Pollinate, Colaiste Abhainn Ri, Kilkenny

LCVP Challenge Award: 

Food Collection for St. Vincent De Paul, Presentation Secondary School, Ballingarry, Tipperary

Our 2024 National Finalists!!!

Well done to the Top 81 student enterprises in the country for making it all the way to the National Final in Mullingar on Thursday 9th May 2024.

Full details on our finalists below: