The Countdown to Croke Park begins for Kildare’s most enterprising students

We're proud to announce that five teenage entrepreneurs from St. Mary’s College, Naas have won a place representing Kildare at the Student Enterprise Programme National Finals in Croke Park on Friday, May 3^rd.

Every September through Local Enterprise Office Kildare County Council, entrepreneurial secondary school students begin their business journey as they are encouraged to research, set-up and run their own real-world businesses.

The enterprise education initiative, funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland and delivered by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities, is the most successful student enterprise programme of kind in the country. An estimated 26,000 students from 490 schools around the country begin their entrepreneurial journey every year with the help of their teachers, student enterprise co-ordinators and Local Enterprise Office.

The students were all competing at the Kildare Final on Friday 8^th March, which was held at the Killashee Hotel, Naas. An estimated 1595 students from 20 secondary schools took part in the annual programme locally.

In the Senior Category of the competition, County Kildare will be represented on May 3^rd by Anna Burke, Sophie Brown, Anna Bazin, Daire Kavanagh and Eabha Bracken O’Brien from The Struggle Is Real at St. Mary’s College, Naas.

Special guests at the Kildare Final included Deputy Martin Heydon, Deputy James Lawless, Mayor Sean Power, Councillors Anne Breen, Bernard Caldwell, Ide Cussen, Billy Hillis and Teresa Murray along with Chief Executive of Kildare County Council Peter Carey.

Speaking at the county final, Jacqui McNabb, Head of Local Enterprise Office Kildare County Council congratulated the students, saying “We have a very successful student enterprise programme here in Kildare with over 1500 students from 20 local schools taking part this year. Our national finalists are excellent ambassadors for the programme and we wish them the very best of luck in Croke Park on May 3^rd.”

She continued: “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”.

Praising the teachers and local schools involved in the programme, Peter Carey Chief Executive of Kildare County Council, said: “The Student Enterprise Programme encourages and enables students to take on the world of business and develop an entrepreneurial mind-set. By fostering an enterprising culture in the classroom, the Local Enterprise Offices are working with teachers and schools to help nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs.”

The local students will be competing against hundreds of other student entrepreneurs from all over Ireland in Croke Park at the Annual Student Enterprise Programme National Finals on May 3^rd.

Further information around the Student Enterprise Programme is available from www.studententerprise.ie and by searching #studententerprise on social media.