Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Fingal launches Ireland’s biggest Student Enterprise Programme (SEP) competition with a Fingal prize fund valued at €10,000
Fingal’s Student Entrepreneurs gathered at Sport Ireland National Sports Campus in Blanchardstown today to launch the 2019/20 Fingal SEP. 25 second-level schools have signed up to this year’s programme, with more than 2,500 participating students. The entrepreneurial students will develop their own real-life businesses, researching, resourcing, trading services and products, with the guidance of business mentors.
Last year’s Fingal Student winners, as well as sponsors of the Fingal competition, joined the Deputy Mayor of Fingal, Cllr. Tom Kitt; Interim Chief Executive of Fingal County Council AnnMarie Farrelly; and Chair of the Network of 31 LEOs and Head of Enterprise in Fingal, Oisín Geoghegan, to launch this year’s Fingal SEP.
The SEP is run in secondary schools throughout Ireland and is by far the biggest enterprise education initiative in the country. It is expected that over 26,000 secondary-school studentswill take part in the programme by setting up and running their own student business in a structured environment. Students find out what it’s really like to be an entrepreneur and get a practical, hands-on taste of real life business. This year sees the introduction of two new competitions “My Entrepreneurial Journey” at the Junior Cycle and the “Most Creative Business” at the Senior Cycle.
The Fingal SEP is hugely competitive, largely due to the massive prize fund totalling €10,000! This includes a unique international educational trip for the Senior category Fingal winners. As the biggest student entrepreneur competition in the country, the Fingal SEP final has been moved to Sport Ireland National Sports Campus for the 2019/2020 edition. Sponsors of the programme this year are confirmed: DDLETB (Dublin & Dun Laoghaire Education & Training Board), One4All Gift Vouchers; and the Blanchardstown Centre.
Speaking about the importance of the SEP to Fingal, Deputy Mayor of Fingal, Cllr. Tom Kitt stated: "More than 50% of the private sector workforce in Ireland is engaged by small local businesses. Fingal has a large young population, and in order to maintain a healthy local economy, we must encourage a strong entrepreneurial culture. Fingal County Council, through the Local Enterprise Office, is determined the next generation of entrepreneurs are given every opportunity to blossom and contribute to their local community. That’s what the Student Enterprise Programme is all about”.
The National Final of the SEP 2019/2020 will take place on Friday 1st May 2020 at Croke Park in Dublin. One student enterprise in each of the categories from the 31 LEOs will have the opportunity to take part in this exciting event. Last year proved to be a particularly good year for student entrepreneurs in Fingal, with Malahide-Portmarnock Educate Together School scooping the top prize in the Junior category at the National final. This new school had just opened its doors last September in the Riasc Centre and won the coveted first place at the national awards, proving the future is bright for entrepreneurship in Fingal!
Chair of the Network of 31 LEOs and Head of Enterprise in Fingal,Oisín Geoghegan concluded: “The Student Enterprise Programme enables thousands of students throughout the country to explore entrepreneurship in a positive way. Fingal continues to lead the way with some 2,500 secondary students participating in the competition from 24 schools. We are fortunate to have a dynamic entrepreneurial climate and coupled with our young well educated population we are very well positioned to produce award-winning young entrepreneurs, as can be seen from our performance in the competition last year. We are also very grateful to our fantastic sponsors of the Fingal programme, who have committed themselves to furthering the cause of entrepreneurship education in Fingal: One4All Gift Vouchers, Blanchardstown Centre, and the Dublin & Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board”.
More information on the SEP can be found at www.studententerprise.ie
