Schools across Fingal are being encouraged to sign-up for this year's Student Enterprise Programme (SEP) by new Brand Ambassador and rising Irish media star, Louise Cantillon. A Limerick native and former second level teacher herself, Louise will be encouraging the thousands of participating students this year as they embark on their exciting entrepreneurial journey, creating, setting up and running their own business to compete for the top prize of Student Enterprise of the Year. Louise says she is particularly excited about the roll-out of the new student workbooks as Gaeilge this year, "I am so excited to be working on the SEP project and learning about all the fantastic businesses these young students are going to be working on this year. The fact that the student workbooks are also being published as Gaeilge this year with thanks to the Irish language agency COGG is fantastic and a great resource for all the gaelscoileanna around the country".
This comes as several students and teachers gathered at County Hall on September 13th to launch the 2023/24 Fingal Student Enterprise Programme. 16 Second level schools with over 600 students across Fingal have already signed up to participate in this year's programme. Under the guidance of business mentors, the students will engage in thorough research and resource the necessary products before beginning trading with their own business. Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Adrian Henchy The Head of Enterprise at Fingal, Oisin Geoghegan also joined the previous year's Fingal Student winners and sponsors of the Fingal competition to launch the 2023/2024 competition.
Since the Student Enterprise Programme began in 2003, over 325,000 students have taken part, learning key skills on how to create a business idea, start a business and grow a business. 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. Supported by sponsors including One4All, Simtech Aviation, Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, and Dublin & Dun Laoghaire Education & Training Board [DDLETB], the programme is open to all secondary school students from 1st year through to 6th year.
Fingal takes pride in having the largest enterprise programme prize fund for second level students in the country. The programme offers an exciting opportunity for students to compete and showcase their entrepreneurial talents. The senior category winning student and teachers are rewarded with an international educational trip to Spain, adding an extra incentive for participants.
Fingal has achieved national success in the competition with students from Loreto Balbriggan, Emily Carroll, Lucy Barnwell, and Hannah Barnwell, who won the Special Merit prize in the Intermediate category in 2020/2021 for their product Bee Happy. In 2019, Ava Gilmartin from Malahide-Portmarnock Educate Together claimed first prize in the Junior category at the National Student Enterprise Programme. Most recently, James Harcourt, Adam Li, Oran O'Neil from Castleknock College won Best Commercial Potential in the Junior Category with their student enterprise Dr in the 2022/2023 competition.
Mayor of Fingal Councillor Adrian Henchy spoke about the positive contribution of the SEP to Fingal: "The Student Enterprise Programme has had a long standing positive impact on local students in Fingal. Since beginning, the programme has continued to enable young entrepreneurs to explore and grow their business ideas. Participating in the Student Enterprise Programme offers students a multitude of benefits, as it provides them with a fantastic opportunity to start and grow their own businesses. Through this hands-on experience, students have the chance to develop key business skills that will be invaluable for their future endeavors".
During the launch of the Student Enterprise Programme, Oisin Geoghegan, Head of Enterprise at Local Enterprise Office Fingal, shared his thoughts on the programme stating "Fingal schools and students have been strong advocates of the programme, leading the way with the highest participation rate in Ireland. We would like to extend our gratitude to our sponsors: Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education & Training Board, One4All, Simtech Aviation, and Blanchardstown Centre. Their generous support and provision of incentives and prizes have played a crucial role in making the competition in Fingal a highly competitive and rewarding experience for all participants. We all appreciate their commitment to fostering entrepreneurship and supporting the growth of young talents in our community."
Last year the winners were MC Compactors from Roscommon in the Senior Category with their business idea - an innovative stainless-steel rubbish compactor. In the Intermediate category the winner was Clip Clop Designs - a company that upcycled used horse shoes into household ornaments. The Junior category was won by a group of Leitrim students enterprise Grasper - a lift mechanism to open slatted tank covers on farms.
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For further information, please contact Local Enterprise Office, Fingal:
Tel: 01 8900 800 E-mail: info@leo.fingal.ie
Local Enterprise Office (LEO)
Local Enterprise Office Fingal (LEO Fingal) is part of a network of 31 Local Enterprise Offices nationwide, located within the Local Authority structure. The Fingal office is one of the largest and most active LEOs in the country. The role of the LEO is to support and provide assistance to existing and potential small business promotors located in Fingal, North County Dublin. In addition, LEO Fingal aims to foster the development of an enterprise culture. The LEOs operate under a Service Level Agreement with Enterprise Ireland and are funded by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund.
Student Enterprise Programme
The Student Enterprise Programme is co-ordinated by the Local Enterprise Offices and involves approximately 25,000 students from 500 secondary schools every year. The programme is funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland and runs from September to May. The Student Enterprise Programme also has a new range of online resources for 2023/2024 at www.StudentEnterprise.ie, which will feature regular blogs and houses a full range of Student Enterprise resources for students and teachers.
