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Oct 25 2017

2017/18 SEP Officially Launched

By Media

2017/18 SEP Officially Launched

From turning engines into tables to keeping bees, how 22,000 Irish teenagers are planning to start their own businesses

Minister Pat Breen launches the country’s biggest student enterprise programme with the Local Enterprise Offices on visit to award-winning Coláiste Chill Mhantáin in Wicklow Town

An estimated 22,000 secondary school students from 620 Irish schools are learning about the world of business by setting up their own enterprises through the Student Enterprise Programme with the Local Enterprise Offices.

The Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen T.D. is today visiting the school of an award-winning teenage entrepreneur in Wicklow, to officially launch the 2017/2018 Student Enterprise Programme.

The programme is the biggest enterprise education initiative of its kind in the country and later this morning, Minister Breen is visiting the school of one of last year’s winners, whose student business involved transforming car, truck and tank engines into tables and lamps for customers at home and abroad.

As part of today’s visit, the Minister will also meet other enterprising students from the school who set up businesses such as bee-keeping, mattress recycling and social media networking.

Speaking ahead of his visit to the school, Minister Breen said: “Since the Student Enterprise Programme began in 2003, more than 150,000 students have benefitted and we want to keep nurturing Ireland’s future entrepreneurs and business leaders in the years to come. Entrepreneurship is the backbone of the Irish economy and initiatives such as the Student Enterprise Programme are key to fostering a more enterprising culture. I would encourage principals and teachers to get in touch with their Local Enterprise Office, to find out how they can get involved in the next Student Enterprise Programme.”

Michael Nevin is the Chair of the Enterprise Education Committee with the Local Enterprise Offices which runs the Student Enterprise Programme. Welcoming the official launch of this year’s programme by Minister Breen he said: “From turning engines into tables to keeping bees, the Student Enterprise Programme enables thousands of students to explore the world of business, starting in the classroom. This is a very practical programme for second-level students, made possible thanks to the support of schools, principals and teachers in every county and local authority area.”

The Minister is being welcomed to the school this morning by the principal, Padraig Donoghue, business studies’ teacher, Bosco Guinan, the new Chief Executive of Wicklow County Council, Frank Curran, the Chair of the network of Local Enterprise Offices, Sheelagh Daly along with Anna Kinnerk of Enterprise Ireland.

Padraig Donoghue, the Principal of Coláiste Chill Mhantáin, said: “The Student Enterprise Programme creates an opportunity for students to refine their entrepreneurial skills in an effort to design, market and sell a product. This programme places the skill of communication central in the success of a product and this is a skillset that will serve the students well in their future lives and endeavours. Being a successful entrepreneur requires optimism, vision, resilience and tenacity to bring a product to a successful conclusion; whether the product is new or the refinement of an existing product is open to each entrepreneur. When one of our students won the national category title in May 2017, it was a huge boost for the Student Enterprise Programme in the school and demonstrated that being an entrepreneur does challenge us to look at things differently and see how they can be used for different functions.”

Updates for teacher resource packs are available to secondary schools, free of charge, through the www.studententerprise.ie website.

May 05 2017

Winners announced at 15th Annual Student Enterprise National Final

By Media

Winners announced at 15th Annual Student Enterprise National Final

15 years of student enterprise programme are celebrated by Local Enterprise Offices in Croke Park

Teenage entrepreneurs from Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Wicklow and Louth have  won the top awards at the Student Enterprise Programme National Finals (May 3rd 2017), organised by the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) for secondary schools.

‘ROC Protection’ from Clonkeen College in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown (Senior Category), ‘Scott Engine Tables’ from Coláiste Chill Mhantáin in Wicklow (Intermediate Category) and ‘Daisy’s Pawesome Bowties’ from Our Lady’s Secondary School in Louth (Junior Category) were presented with their awards on stage in Croke Park by the Minister of State for Employment and Small Business, Pat Breen T.D.

‘ROC Protection’ have invented a protective base layer for hurlers, ‘Scott Engine Tables’ make furniture from recycled car, truck and tank engines and ‘Daisy’s Pawesome Bowties’ made bowties and bandanas for dogs.

The LEO-run Student Enterprise Programme started in 2003 and more than 150,000 secondary school students have taken part over the last fifteen years, researching and setting up their own businesses.

This year’s Student Enterprise Programme attracted 22,000 student participants from 620 secondary schools around the country. The year-long programme helps each student to gain the skills and practical knowledge of running a real-life business.

Congratulating this year’s winners and their schools, Minister Breen said: “Entrepreneurship is the backbone of our economy, which is why this Student Enterprise Programme and Awards is so important. Getting students learning about enterprise and providing the opportunity for them to learn by doing, at an early age, lays the foundations for successful entrepreneurship in the future.

I want to pay tribute in particular to the Local Enterprise Offices and to the teachers and management of the participating schools right around the country who have delivered a very successful Programme and Awards for the 15th year running. I am greatly impressed and encouraged by the talent on show at the Student Enterprise Awards, and want to commend all of the students who have taken part in the Programme this year. I would encourage you to keep in touch with your Local Enterprise Office, who are on hand to help you grow your businesses. Heartiest congratulations to all the winners and I’ve no doubt that we are looking at some of Ireland’s leading business leaders of the future!”

A total of 200 teenage entrepreneurs, aged between 13 and 18 and from 77 different enterprises, competed at today’s National Final, with every county represented.

Stephen Walshe, Chair of the Enterprise Education Committee with the Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities said: “2017 is an extra special year for Local Enterprise Offices, schools, teachers and students, as we celebrate fifteen successful years of the student enterprise programme in Ireland. As we look to the future, the curriculum in schools is changing with more of an emphasis on enterprise in the classroom. The Student Enterprise Programme is a natural fit for teachers with new resources and supports available to schools throughout the country.”

In the Senior Category, for students from Transition Year to Leaving Certificate, the runner-up prize went to ‘J&S Kitchen Aid’ from Mercy Secondary School in Longford and third place went to ‘Sláinte na n-Óg’ from Colaiste an Spioraid Naoimh in Cork City.

Meanwhile in the Intermediate Category, which is for Second Year and Third Year students, ‘Pocketknow’’ from Coláiste Iosaef in Limerick took the runner-up prize and third place went to ‘Grandparentmemories.com’ from Killorglin Community College in Kerry.

For First Year students in the Junior Category, the runner-up award went to ‘Simply Safer Scents’ from Ramsgrange Community School in Wexford with ‘Bin Belt’ from Moyne Community School in Longford taking third place.

Thomas McEvoy, Head of Enterprise, LEO Louth delivered the opening address at today’s ceremony on behalf of the network of Local Enterprise Offices. Some of the past Student Enterprise Award winners, including Luke Byrne of ‘Headphone Helpers’, Ciara Whooley of ‘Irish Baubles’ and Matthew Hewston of ‘Squeazy’ spoke about how the programme boosted their business skills.

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’ in U.C.C. at the end of May, to help them further develop their business skills.

Further details about the next Student Enterprise Programme, which begins in September, are available through www.studententerprise.ie

Judging Panels for Student Enterprise Programme National Final 2017

 Junior Category:       

  • Caroline McHale (Professional Development Service for Teachers)
  • Fiona Donnelly (Management Consultant and Entrepreneur)
  • John Byrne (SAOL Mind Coaching)

Intermediate Category:   

  • Anthony Gregory (Elite Food Solutions)                                                                                                                           
  • John Russell (Russell & Co)                                                                                                                                                 
  • Ciara Clancy (Beats Medical – Winner of IBYE competition in March 2017)

Senior Category: 

  • Elaine Haugh (School Accounting)
  • Orla O’ Carroll (Orla O’ Carroll Ltd)
  • Blaine Doyle (GlowDX – Best Idea Category Winner, IBYE 2015)

FULL LIST OF WINNERS

2017 STUDENT ENTERPRISE PROGRAMME NATIONAL FINAL 

SENIOR CATEGORY

  • First Place: ROC Protection, Clonkeen College in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.
  • Second Place: J&S Kitchen Aid, Mercy Secondary School in Longford.
  • Third Place: Sláinte na n-Óg, Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh in Cork City.
  • Innovation Award: Pablo Science & Engineering, Ardscoil Rís in Limerick.
  • Best Display: Dunopoly, St. Mary’s College in Louth.
  • Special Merit 1: Circulation Footstool Support, St. Joseph’s Secondary School in Kerry.
  • Special Merit 2: Cattlestop, St. Gerald’s College in Mayo.

INTERMEDIATE CATEGORY

  • First Place: Scott Engine Tables, Coláiste Chill Mhantain in Wicklow.
  • Second Place: Pocketknow, Coláiste losaef in Limerick.
  • Third Place: Grandparentsmemories.com, Killorglin Community College in Kerry.
  • Innovation Award: Relay Smart, Athlone Community College in Westmeath.
  • Best Display: Méabhla’s Fairy World, Scoil Mhuire in Clare.
  • Special Merit: Make Every Step Count, Coláiste Ghlor na Mara in Fingal.

JUNIOR CATEGORY

  • First Place: Daisy’s Pawesome Bowties, Our Lady’s Secondary School in Louth.
  • Second Place: Simply Safer Scents, Ramsgrange Community School in Wexford.
  • Third Place: Bin Belt, Moyne Community School in Longford
  • Innovation Award: The Happy Homework Hut, Carrigallen Vocational School in Leitrim.
  • Best Display: Changing Seasons, Royal School in Cavan.
  • Special Merit: Bling My Bin, St. Patrick’s Classical School in Meath.

IP Awards (sponsored by the Patents Office)

Best IP Awareness Award, Junior Category: Barony Boxes, Our Lady’s Secondary School, Belmullet, Co Mayo.

Best IP Awareness Award, Intermediate Category: INSERT STRAINER, St Tiernan’s College, Crossmolina, Co Mayo.

Best IP Awareness Award, Senior Category: Fiacla Bán, St Clare’s College, Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan.

Social Media Awards (sponsored by Essential French)

Most creative use of Social Media: Grandparents Memories, Killorglin Community College in Kerry.

Most effective Social Media Campaign: FCDM-busybags, St. Joseph’s Community College, Charlestown.

Most interactive Business on Social Media: TY.ie, Colaiste Spraoid Naoimh in Cork City.