Creating business leaders through student enterprise Programme
Ireland’s largest student enterprise programme has been launched in what is now its 20th year. An initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices to encourage entrepreneurship in secondary schools, the Student Enterprise Programme has seen over 300,000 secondary school students take part nationally since it first began and over 20,000 taking part in Tipperary.
Tipperary has had success over the years where Students from the Christian Brothers Secondary School in Thurles were awarded top honours by winning the senior category award with their business which comprised of an innovative magnetic handy hose holder product aimed specifically at parlour hoses for dairy farmers. The Handy Hose by student entrepreneurs Jack O’Mara and Daniel Ruddy from CBS Thurles fits to the hose to enable it to attach easily to any metal surface within the milking parlour. Since winning the award Handy Hose has been picked up by Glanbia. We would like to acknowledge Fergus O’Brien, Business Teacher Thurles, CBS for his support and encouragement throughout the programme and to all the teachers in Tipperary who have worked with us throughout the years.
The launch of the 2021/’22 programme saw the introduction of this year’s Student Enterprise Programme ambassador, All Ireland winning Limerick hurler, Sean Finn. Finn launched this year’s programme at Desmond College in Newcastle West, Limerick, a college that has had success in recent years at the Student Enterprise Programme.
Anthony Fitzgerald, Head of Enterprise, Local Enterprise Office said: “The Student Enterprise Programme continues to go from strength-to-strength year on year and the 20th year promises to be no different. In recent years we have seen students react to create businesses that are solving real world problems, whether it be pandemic related or within sustainability and the green agenda. Our students don’t want to just create a business, but a business that makes a difference in the world and it’s fantastic to see. We are looking forward to seeing what this year’s students have to offer.”
Sean Finn, Student Enterprise Programme Ambassador and 2021 Hurling All-Ireland winner, stated: “Without doubt the Student Enterprise Programme is one of the most beneficial things you can get involved in secondary school. The business skills you can learn from business ideas and research to sales and marketing are tools you can use across your career and the ability to set up and run a business will always stand by you.”
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 1,200 students from almost 20 secondary schools across Tipperary take part in 2020/2021 with similar numbers expected to be involved this year.
The students will compete across three categories - junior, intermediate and senior and judging takes place virtually via electronic submissions. Each student enterprise is challenged with creating, setting up and running their own business, which must show sales of their service or product.
Our Tipperary County finals will take place during National Enterprise Week – Friday, March 11.
The programme also has two additional categories that students can enter. These are the ‘Most Creative Business Idea’ video competition for the Senior category and the ‘My Entrepreneurial Journey’ category for the junior and intermediate categories.
Notable recent national winners of the Student Enterprise Programme include ‘Coppercase’ in May this year who took home the senior prize. The antimicrobial casing for face masks was the brainchild of Matthew McVicar of Macartans College in Monaghan, who is son of Combilift founder Martin McVicar. In 2020, a clever attachment for a milking parlour, Handy Hose, took the senior prize and they are now listed with Glanbia across the country, while Fenu Health who also participated in 2016/’17 are taking the equine world by storm with their gut health supplements.
Earlier this year, the 2020/2021 Student Enterprise Programme National Final winners in the Senior category were Coppercase from Macartan’s College in Monaghan for their antimicrobial copper lined case for face masks. The Intermediate category was won by T-Snappi from Summerhill College in Sligo, while Go Green Now from Salerno Secondary School in Galway took the Junior category award.
FURTHER DETAILS
Since the Student Enterprise Programme began in 2003, over 300,000 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 2021/2022 at www.StudentEnterprise.ie, which will feature regular blogs and houses a full range of Student Enterprise resources for students and teachers.