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May 07 2019

Congratulations to our 2019 National SEP Winners!

By Blog, Media

Congratulations to our 2019 National SEP Winners!

SMOOTH SHOE REMOVAL STUDENTS SECURE 2019 ENTERPRISE AWARD

IRELAND’S LARGEST STUDENT ENTERPRISE AWARDS CROWN CLASS OF 2019

 

The best and the brightest of Ireland’s secondary school entrepreneurs were in Croke Park today for the National Finals of the Student Enterprise Programme, run by the Local Enterprise Offices.

 

An enterprise inspired by a grandparent’s inability to remove their shoes took top prize in the senior category. Smooth Remove from Boherbue Comprehensive School in Mallow, North Cork designed an ergonomic wooden device that enables the easy removal of footwear for those who may have back problems or have difficulty bending down to take off their shoes.

Pet safety was to the fore in the Intermediate category as Críos Mhadra from Presentation Secondary School in Castleisland, Kerry won the judges vote. Designed by 14-year-old students Katelyn Curtin and Kelly Anne Nix the 3-point safety harness provides comfort and safety for those travelling with pets in their car.

 

In the Junior category, a practical solution by a daughter for a parent’s tendency to misplace glasses at work was a big hit with the judging panel. Ava Gilmartin from Malahide Portmarnock Educate Together School in Fingal vowed to solve her mother’s issue of her glasses constantly falling off, while working as a nurse. Ava created Specrest, a small biodegradable clip which is made using a 3-D printer that keeps glasses secure.

 

Over 26,000 students took part in this year’s programme from across the country and today 222 representing 78 student enterprises have reached the National Final competing across 3 categories; Junior, Intermediate and Senior, with the winners being announced and presented with their trophies by Pat Breen, T.D., Minister for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection.

 

The programme delivered by the 31 Local Enterprise Office is funded by the Government of Ireland through the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation in partnership with Enterprise Ireland across every local authority area.

Congratulating the winners Minister Breen said; “These student entrepreneurs are the future of Irish business and job creation across the country. The skills attained by these young students during the Student Enterprise Programme will be invaluable to these young entrepreneurs and provide them with a fantastic foundation for a future in business. Many congratulations to all the students here today. By making it to Croke Park you have shown you can create and run a business. And congratulations also to their teachers who play such a significant role in sparking and encouraging their entrepreneurial imagination. If these students decide that being an entrepreneur is the path they want to take in their future, I can assure them their Local Enterprise Office will be there to support them every step of the way.”

Michael Nevin, Chair of the Education Enterprise Committee, Local Enterprise Offices, said; “This year we’ve had over 26,000 students involved in creating, setting up and running a business, learning a whole new range of skills. We have finalists looking to address environmental issues, mental health issues and climate change issues so the class of 2019 is very much committed to creating businesses who can make the world a better place and that is a great thing. Many businesses of today could learn a lot from these students particularly in their clever use of social media to promote their enterprises. No doubt the finalists today have a bright future in business in whatever form that takes and we hope to see them walking through the door of their Local Enterprise Office in the near future.”

 

The runners-up this year in the senior category were Hurl Standz from St. Mary’s CBS in Laois who create wall-mounted, handcrafted metal stands to hold hurls and helmets. In the Intermediate category, second place went to JCJ Get a Grip from St. Joseph’s Secondary School in Westmeath whose enterprise was a pre-cut and pre-measured and scored tape which is applied to the underside of Irish dancing shoes to prevent slipping without affecting the sound. The runners-up in the Junior category went to B Good Brownie from St. Patrick’s Classical School in Navan, Co. Meath, who make gluten and lactose free brownies with unique blend coffee.

Awards were presented for intellectual property awareness by the Irish Patents Office and for social media by Essential French. Twenty students in the Senior Category also win a place at the residential ‘Winners’ Business Bootcamp’ over the summer to help them further develop their business skills. Further details about the next Student Enterprise Programme, which begins in September through the Local Enterprise Offices, are available through www.studententerprise.ie

 

ENDS

For all media information and interview requests with students, please contact:

Sarah Bohan, LEO Communications at Enterprise Ireland / 0876539936

Declan Lee, LEO Communications at Enterprise Ireland / 0876957451

Fuzion Communications Contact / Ciara Jordan 086 8684555 / Suzanne Meade 086 4133031

Feb 26 2019

How to nail the SEP Interview!

By Blog

How to nail the SEP Interview!

So, you’ve been working hard on your Student Enterprise Programme business, coming up with a great idea, forming your team, running your business, managing your marketing, sales and doing your accounts – you’ve even worked on submitting a great business report within the deadline, and now you have an interview at either School, County or National Final to prepare for!

Here at studententerprise.ie we want to give you some advice from our years of experience in running the programme about how to ensure you present yourselves and your business in the best possible way!

So, let’s start with the basics:

  1. Know your business report inside out!

You recently completed your Business Report. Think of it as your textbook on a subject for an exam – except it’s even better than that, because you wrote it! So, you’re going to be answering some questions on a piece of work that you’ve written – that’s certainly not how exams work and makes a pleasant change, right? It is vital that all team members know the report material very well. Obviously, certain team members are in charge of certain tasks in the business, and may have written ‘their’ section of the report, but generally, it is important that all team members have a good knowledge of the whole report.

  1. Know your numbers

You’ll know generally how your business developed from an idea, to the production side of the business and how sales were made, but it’s important to have certain numbers at your fingertips for the interview. For instance, if you’re producing a product, it’s very likely the judges will ask you:

  • How many units (products) did you sell?’
  • What was your cost of production?
  • What was your sales price?
  • What was your total turnover? (the amount of money earned from sales)
  • If, and how much, you invested in the business?
  • If, and how much LEO or school funding you received?
  • What was your net profit?

Remember, the judges aren’t trying to ‘catch you out’ with these questions – they will have read your report, but want to see if you’re up to speed on how the business is performing!

  1. Have an up-to-the-minute update ready

Remember, the judges love to see that you’re continually working on the business, and a good tip here is if you have made progress since you submitted the business report (maybe you’ve really increased sales, or got some new orders), summarise this progress in bullet point form on an A4 sheet and present same to them-they’ll be impressed that you perhaps see potential for the business beyond the end of the current SEP cycle!

  1. Make it a team event

All members of the team need to be involved in the interview. Teamwork is vital for business success, and judges like to see all members contributing to the interview, as it shows that the success of the business is a genuine team effort! It would be good practice for the Managing Director (MD) to introduce himself/herself to the judges and introduce the other team members and their respective positions within the business. When a question is asked on marketing, it should be answered by the Marketing Manager, a finance question should be asked by the Financial Manager, etc. In this way, everybody gets to contribute and that creates a positive impression on the judges.

  1. Presentation is paramount

How you present your business is also very important. You’ll have received advice on how to prepare your display stand, but some basic presentation skills are key – for instance, do you have a business uniform, like branded workwear, fleeces, etc.? If so, make sure all team members are wearing it. If you’re in you school uniform, ensure all team members have name badges to make it easier for the judges to know who is who.

  1. Practice makes perfect!

Finally, remember the old saying…’practice makes perfect’! Try to develop a list of questions the judges may ask, and write them down. For instance, they may ask how you came up with your idea, what you did next, how did you decide on the sales price of your product service, financial questions like we outlined earlier, and maybe conclude with what you learned about business by taking part in the SEP. Write down answers to these potential questions and conduct short ‘practice interviews’ with your team – don’t worry about trying to learn off the answers, rather try to ensure you have an understanding of what’s being asked and how your team actually performed in that area, and what you learned.

Finally, remember to relax – you’re being interviewed by judges who’ve read your business report and are genuinely interested to see how participating in the Student Enterprise Programme has helped you to learn about business. Be honest, enthusiastic and share your passion for enterprise and you can’t go wrong!

 

Feb 12 2019

Writing Your Business Report – Don’t Panic!

By Blog

2017 national finals

Keep Calm, It’s Business Report time!!

Around about now, if you listen very carefully, you might actually hear the combined groans of students like you from all over Ireland who are facing into writing the dreaded Business Report!  But actually, this, seemingly daunting, but essential, part of the Student Enterprise Programme doesn’t need to be dreaded at all.

The basics:

The Report cannot be any more than six pages long (without appendices).  You want the judges to find reading your Report an interesting and pleasurable experience.  They will be reviewing up to forty reports in advance of the County/National Final and there are a full thirty marks available for it.  This is your chance to make a BIG first impression and do yourselves and your business justice! A well structured Business Report is a joy to read.

Resources:

The first thing to do is to go to the “Student Resources” link on www.studententerprise.ie  Under “Student Resources” – “Useful Templates/Forms” you will find documents which you can download including “Business Report Template” and “Business Report Cover Sheet”.  Under the “Report Template”, you will find eight different section headings from “Introduction” to “Review and Conclusion”.  Each heading features various really useful prompt questions to help you tell your own unique SEP story.  If you literally answer all of these prompt questions in your own words, expanding on each one, then Hey Presto – you’ll have your Report done and dusted!

Step by step:

It’s likely that different team members were responsible for different aspects of the business (e.g. Sales and Marketing, Finance), so one option is to have everyone write their own relevant section.  If you decide to take this approach, it’s advisable to have an editor ensure that the Report reads well and the various writing styles match.

So,

  • Start with the prompt questions from the Business Report Template.
  • Write bullet points under each question heading.
  • Expand on these bullet points, to complete full sentences.
  • Use clear, concise English and make your sentences as snappy as
  • possible.
  • Keep to the point!
  • Try to vary your language. Avoid using the same words or phrases repeatedly. Your thesaurus can help you with this!
  • Ensure proper use of grammar. (e.g. know the difference between “they’re”, “there” and “their”!)
  • If you are unsure how to spell a word, look it up!
  • Ensure the correct use of commas and apostrophes.
  • Make sure all sections are in the same tense.
  • Use a font that is easy to read.
  • Ensure photos you use print out clearly.
  • A bit of humour can make all the difference to the reader!
  • Tell your story in your own way.
  • Be professional.
  • Avoid the temptation of getting someone else to write the report for you!  The judges will always know!

 

Some words of wisdom:

The power of the mind is amazing.  Visualisation can really help you to achieve your goals.  An excellent tip for approaching any dreaded task is to simply relax, close your eyes and conjure up the satisfied feeling you will get when you have the task completed.  So, imagine putting in the very last full stop on your Business Report.  See the Report in your hand, perfectly neat and tidy, with flowing, concise language. It is the best representation of you and your business that it can be and you are super proud of it.

Now, take a deep breath and start writing!

Dec 22 2018

Student Enterprise Programme Launch

By Blog, Media

Student Enterprise Programme Launch

Media Release 19th December 2018

MINISTER PAT BREEN T.D. LAUNCHES IRELAND’S LARGEST SECOND LEVEL BUSINESS PROGRAMME

Ireland’s largest second level business programme for students, the Student Enterprise Programme, an initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices, was launched today by Pat Breen, T.D., Minister for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection.

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 26,000 students from 512 secondary schools across the country take part in 2018.  The programme supports students to create, design and market their own business, all with the hope of reaching the National Finals in Croke Park on May 3rd.

Minister Breen was joined at the launch by professional rugby star, Josh Van Der Flier, the 2018/2019 ambassador for the Student Enterprise Programme. Today’s launch took place in Van Der Flier’s former school, Wesley College in Dundrum, where the flanker took part in the Local Enterprise Office’s student enterprise programme when he was a student.

Speaking to some of the students involved in this year’s programme at the event, Minister Breen emphasised the importance of instilling entrepreneurship in future business leaders.  “It is imperative that we try to give the next generation of entrepreneurs a real understanding and passion for how businesses work.  We need creative young minds coming through who want to create their own businesses in the future and create jobs in Ireland. 

 “The Local Enterprise Offices do a fantastic job in fostering this entrepreneurial spirit in secondary level schools with the Student Enterprise Programme.  Year on year the ideas and businesses are remarkable and belie the ages of many of the participants.  The best of luck to every student taking part this year and while they will all want to win, the knowledge and experience they will gain on the journey will be invaluable to them in years ahead,” Minister Breen said.

Student Enterprise Programme Ambassador, Josh Van Der Flier, said; “The Student Enterprise Programme is a fantastic initiative from the Local Enterprise Offices.  Having been involved myself when I was in secondary school, it gives you a real business understanding of how to bring a good idea from concept to creating something that is fully ready to go to market.  Many of the traits in sport and in business are similar and for students to be getting this grounding in business at such a formative time in their lives will stand by them in whatever profession they pursue.”    

Michael Nevin, Chair of the Student Enterprise Programme Committee with the Local Enterprise Offices said; “The Student Enterprise Programme is designed to engage and develop students’ entrepreneurial drive.  It gives them a flavour of business and the opportunity to bring some of their fantastic ideas to life.  The 31 Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities across the country work closely with the schools but it’s the enthusiasm of the students that shines though along with some amazing ideas.  We have seen so many students through the programme that continue their business in the years after the programme and that’s a testament to the work of the teachers involved and the programme itself.”     

The three winning businesses from 2018 had their products at the launch in Wesley College; Complete Caman from Presentation Secondary School, Castleisland, Kerry who won the Junior Award, Lift Arm Assist from CBS Kilkenny who won the Intermediate category and Abbey Bread from Cistercian College Roscrea, who won the Senior category.

Abbey Bread, the Senior winner, was a simple bread mix created by Cistercian College Roscrea student Manus Heenan from a 100-year-old Cistercian monks recipe.  Lift Arm Assist, winners of the Intermediate category in 2018, was developed by three students from Kilkenny and is a hydraulic arm that replaces the lift arm stabiliser on the back of a tractor.  The Complete Caman, developed by five teenage girls from Kerry is a specialised designed hurl that allows people of all ages or abilities to train themselves in hurling.

Since the Student Enterprise Programme began in 2003 over 175,000 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 website for 2018 / 2019 at www.StudentEnterprise.ie, which will feature regular blogs and houses a full range of Student Enterprise resources for students and teachers.

Others who attended today’s launch were Chris Woods, Principal of Wesley College, Brian Delany, Business Studies teacher at Wesley College, Mariea Mulally of Local Enterprise Office Dun Laoghaire Rathdown and Carl Cullen of ROC Protection who won the Student Enterprise Programme in 2017.

ENDS

For further information:

Declan Lee – Enterprise Ireland – 087 695 7451 / Declan.Lee@enterprise-ireland.com

Sarah Bohan – Enterprise Ireland – 087 653 9936 / Sarah.Bohan@Enterprise-Ireland.com

PREVIOUS STUDENT ENTERPRISE PROGRAMME WINNERS

2018

Junior – Complete Caman – 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 – Colaiste Chill Mhantain, Rathnew, Wicklow

Senior – ROC Protection – Clonkeen College, Blackrock, Dublin

 

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Nov 20 2018

Why it’s important to do a risk assessment for your business

By Blog

Why it’s important to do a risk assessment for your business

It’s essential that once you have decided on a business idea for your student enterprise that you carry out what’s called a Risk Assessment.

A Risk Assessment will ensure that you do not put yourselves or anyone else at risk as a result of your business activities.

When doing your ‘Risk Assessment’ you must look at the following four areas:

  1. How your product/service is produced
  2. How your product/service is assembled
  3. How your product/service is sold
  4. How your product/service is used

With regard to these four areas above, ask yourselves these three key questions:

  1. What hazards or dangers could arise from your design?
  2. How serious is this risk?
  3. What do you need to do to eliminate or reduce these risks?

It’s important to spend time assessing all the potential risks and discussing how you can eliminate them with your fellow team mates and enterprise teacher. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for opinions of others such as parents, siblings, aunts, uncles etc…. as sometimes someone not so close to the idea can spot things you may not.

A word on manufacturing

If your team is involved in manufacturing, the possibility for damage is greater and even seemingly harmless products can sometimes pose a danger. If your team is involved in manufacturing, you must be particularly diligent with your Risk Assessment.

For example, take natural handmade soap. This seems perfectly straightforward. One of the ingredients is lye, which is tremendously corrosive to skin. So there is a risk both to the students making the product and the users.

Be particularly cautious of products that are ingested or applied to the skin, as quality control is critical here. There are many rules, regulations and laws regarding personal products, so research is key in this area of business production.

Rule of thumb for safety: “When in doubt, Don’t!”

Safe System of Work Plan (SSWP)

Students are encouraged to implement a ‘Safe System of Work Plan (SSWP)’.

Essentially this means:

  • Planning the activity
  • Identifying the hazard
  • Identifying the control
  • Signing-off

Put in place a written system for how risk has been eliminated or reduced during the design process and how you have communicated information on any remaining risks.

If you are designing a product, you must ensure that the product is safe, can be maintained safely and complies with all relevant safety and health legislation.

The following are some examples of safety considerations in common products:

Rain Harvesting and Storage Container:       

Ensure product has secure lock on cover to ensure it cannot be opened by young children.

Food Products:

Ask the Home Economics teacher for oversight on preparation, health and safety and adherence to HSE guidelines

Children’s Toys:

If the item has small Parts mean it must be labelled as unsuitable for children under 3 years old as it could pose a choking hazard. Check out Irish and European standards and regulations on children’s products and safety.

Chargers and Associated Electronic Gadgets:

Ensure any items that are designed by you or bought in Ireland or from abroad with a view to selling on to customers have CE marking and are in line with all safety regulations.

Useful Links

www.hsa.ie

www.hse.ie

www.fsai.ie

www.citizensinformation.ie

www.ccpc.ie

The above information has been adapted from the ‘Production’ chapter in the Student Enterprise Programme Teachers’ Handbook, which was compiled and written by Brian Dolan. The Teachers’ Handbook is available to download here.

Nov 09 2018

Tips for the Christmas Trade Fairs/Markets

By Blog

Tips for the Christmas Trade Fairs/Markets

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Now that the Halloween decorations have been put back in the attic, it’s acceptable to dust down the tinsel and baubles in preparation for the festive season! So, whether you embrace Christmas with both woolly mitten-clad hands, or there is a tinge of “Grinch” green about you, there’s no doubt about it, Christmas and the run-up to it represent a real chance for you to boost your Student Enterprise and make sales of your product or service. If you’re lucky, your school will have a Christmas Trade Fair, or there may be a market in your locality at which you could take a stall. Don’t miss out on superb selling opportunities like these!

Even if you won’t have a product or service ready to sell in time, or feel that yours is not really suitable for a Christmas Trade Fair/Market, you should still take a stall. There is huge advantage to be gained in raising awareness of your business and your brand. Be like all the Local Enterprise Office client businesses which exhibit every year at the Ploughing Championships and at Showcase in the RDS. These businesses might not necessarily make many sales at these events, but they know that they are getting invaluable exposure just by being there. You could display a sample of your product or details of your service and take orders, along with deposits. This will help greatly with cash-flow. Cash is King after all!

On the day of the Trade Fair/Market, you are bound to be vying for attention with many other stalls. So, how do you stand out from the crowd?

Well, this is where your imagination and organisational skills come to the rescue! Be as colourful and memorable as possible.

Here are some handy tips to get you started:
➢ Have consistent branding on both your stand and your marketing material.
➢ Consider wearing t-shirts featuring your business logo. It’s well worth investing in your image.
➢ One of the team (or someone you employ) could dress up as an elf and hand out your business flyers, directing potential customers to your stall.
➢ You could have a free raffle, or perhaps offer free treats.
➢ Maybe organise a (small!) flash mob for right in front of your stall? Use your ingenuity to attract the crowd!

Now that you have a crowd at your stall, how do you make sales? Remember that when it comes to products and services, people buy “Benefits” rather than features. So, it’s vital that you get across the benefits of your fantastic product or service to your captive audience. For example, a lavender bath bomb features a gorgeous smell, but it has the benefit of making you feel ultra-relaxed and pampered. You get the idea! Figure out what your product “Benefits” are and make your customers feel like they can’t do without them!

Trade Fairs and markets are hard work and can be tiring. Make sure you get a good sleep the night before. Be prepared for all eventualities and have enough stock, or at least a way of taking orders and deposits. Don’t forget a cash float. Make sure that each member of the team pulls their weight and behave in a professional and courteous manner at all times, projecting the right image for your business.

And remember, a big friendly, welcoming smile is the best decoration of all!

Good luck!