COUNTY LONGFORD SCHOOLS ENCOURAGED TO SIGN UP FOR IRELAND’S LARGEST ENTERPRISE PROGRAMME
Schools across Co. Longford are being encouraged to sign up for this year’s Student Enterprise Programme. An initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices, the country’s largest enterprise programme for second level students begins its 21st year and over 300,000 students have taken part since it began.
Every year around 25,000 students take part from almost 500 schools all across the country, competing in the Junior, Intermediate and Senior categories. Participants learn how to create and run their own business, picking up key skills along the way such as ideation, marketing, finance and sales and it’s open to all secondary schools. Recent ambassadors for the programme have included Derval O’Rourke, Josh Van Der Flier and Limerick All-Ireland winner Sean Finn.
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. The programme is open to all secondary school students from 1st year through to 6th year.
The County has had success over the years in the competition. Recent national awards won by local secondary schools have included Best Endeavour in 2022 for ‘Saoirse’s Bakes and Cakes’ from Moyne Community School, Best Commercial Potential in 2021 for ’Handy Hooks’ from Ballymahon Vocational School, Best Commercial Potential award 2018 for ‘Reel Easy’ from Moyne Community School and 2nd place in the Senior Category in 2017 for ‘J & S Kitchen Aid’ from Mercy Secondary School in Ballymahon.
Michael Nevin, chair of the Education Enterprise Committee of the Local Enterprise Offices, said; “This year the Student Enterprise Programme will be celebrating its 21st year and despite all the challenges of the last few years, the standard continues to improve. We’ve seen some amazing ideas from across the country and students can be very proud of what they have achieved. We would advise any budding young entrepreneurs in the County to join the programme, the experience will stand to them forever and hopefully will light the spark of entrepreneurship in them that they will carry into later life.”
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 a new range of online resources for 2022/2023 at www.StudentEnterprise.ie, which will feature regular blogs and houses a full range of Student Enterprise resources for students and teachers.
National Prize Winner 2022
Saoirse O’Toole of Saoirse’s Bakes and Cakes from Moyne Community School - Longford, who picked up the “Best Endeavour” prize in the Intermediate category of the Student Enterprise Programme at National Level
