Fingal’s biggest ever county final of the Student Enterprise Programme (SEP), was due to take place in the National Sports Campus last month. Like so many events, this was cancelled due to public health concerns around Covid-19, much to the disappointment of the 81 student enterprises who were putting the finishing touches to their stands, ready to proudly display their enterprises.
In true entrepreneurial spirit, with the resilience required by all entrepreneurs and the ability to adapt to change, student sent in soft copies of their business reports & the judging process went ahead, albeit under different circumstances.
Almost 3,000 students across 29 schools took part in the programme this year, and the 81 finalists were chosen by their school to represent them at County Final level. From those finalists, judges have selected winners of the three categories to represent Fingal in the National Final judging process, which will also take place remotely.
The Junior Category winner, came from Loreto School in Balbriggan, and scooped first with a business called “Campo de Fiori”, which produces a range of flower decorations for various occasions.
In the Intermediate Category, Edmund Rice College in Blanchardstown were top of the class, with their enterprise called “Candle Holders Out Of Sustainable Equipment (C.H.O.O.S.E)”, producing artisanal candleholders which are environmentally conscious.
The Senior Category top award went to, Castleknock Community College, who took home first prize with “Globenomics”, an innovative card game which gives an in-depth insight into economics for students of the new Junior Certificate programme.
Oisin Geoghegan, Chair of the LEO Network and Head of Enterprise at LEO Fingal congratulated the students, saying “We have a very successful student enterprise programme here in Fingal, with 2,950 students from 29 local schools taking part this year. 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 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 25,000 students from over 500 secondary schools across the country take part in 2018 / 2019. Fingal accounted for 2,700 of these students, making the Fingal competition by far the biggest in the country. This number has continued to grow in the 2019/2020 programme, and we look forward to continuing that growth with the 2020/2021 programme.
Ms AnnMarie Farrelly, Chief Executive of Fingal County Council said: "The Student Enterprise Programme ensures the next generation of entrepreneurs are given the right supports and encouragement, so they can take an idea from the classroom and develop it into a real-life business. Fingal County Council, through the Local Enterprise Office, actively fosters a strong entrepreneurial culture within the county leading to the creation of local jobs”.
This year, students in the Senior category had the opportunity to enter an additional “Most Creative Business Idea” section. Under the theme “Go Green: Be Sustainable” students were invited to send in a video of their most innovative ideas, without having to produce a product or service and was open to all senior students taking part in the wider competition. Fingal’s winner in this competition, from Donabate Community College. is ‘Recycle’, an innovative idea to generate energy using a static bicycle, which will be judged at national level next month.
Cllr. Eoghan O’Brien, Mayor of Fingal spoke about the positive contribution of the SEP to the Fingal Region: “One of the key roles of Fingal County Council is to ensure that our citizens are given every opportunity to be successful, especially the coming generation. Through the Student Enterprise Programme, our students are learning the skills that will help them become more entrepreneurial and contribute positively to their careers.”
Further information around the SEP is available from www.studententerprise.ie and by searching #studententerprise on social media.