Young entrepreneurs and budding business minds are invited to make their business ideas a reality this year through the South Cork Schools Enterprise Programme.

Co-ordinated by the Local Enterprise Office South Cork, the South Cork Schools Enterprise programme hosted an Innovation Day on Monday 22 September at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Little Island.  The Innovation Day was specifically designed to inspire teachers and students to generate creative business ideas, which would ultimately lead to mini-companies being established in schools across the South Cork Region.  Noel Davidson and Muireann Fitzmaurice from QED Training delivered the creative and intriguing workshop to over 148 students and 11 teachers.

“Inspiring young minds and giving students the skills and confidence to become young entrepreneurs is at the heart of the Schools Enterprise Programme,” explains Sean O’Sullivan, CEO, Local Enterprise Office South Cork.

“The programme, which runs for the duration of the school year and includes regional and national award opportunities, aims to drive entrepreneurship among our talented young people, and to combine classroom business studies learning with real life experience of commercial activities.  We have seen firsthand how this tailored programme enhances creativity, improves communication skills, builds confidence and fosters an enterprise culture among our second level students in Cork”.   

At Innovation Day, students received spirited training from QED Training to encourage, motivate and guide them in the right direction towards establishing their enterprises and business activities. An interactive, practical workshop was also included in the day’s agenda, as well as informative and engaging talks on entrepreneurship and business.

 “QED Training has been working with the Local Enterprise Office South Cork on the Student Enterprise programme for a number of years now and each year the programme develops in line with our student ambitions.  My visits to second level schools have just started, and already I can see a number of bright and enterprising students, who see the opportunities that this programme can offer in terms of skills building, experience and CV merits”, said Katherine Corkery, Co-ordinator, South Cork Schools Enterprise Programme.  

Feedback from the teachers at Innovation Day included “an excellent day and an interesting event for the students to attend”, “gives students an insight into professional conferences”, “really motivated students”, “creative and interesting presentations”, “good for students to realise that great things can come from crazy ideas”, “very relevant ideas given, inspiring”.

Feedback from the students who attended Innovation Day included “highly enjoyable and thought us how to come up with ideas quicker and by using friends etc”, “learned a lot in a fun way”, “very enjoyable will use knowledge I learned”, “unique ideas”, “very relevant, helped with team work and communication skills”, “it was very good overall, would recommend it to everyone and anyone”.

Innovation Day is just one part of the South Cork Schools Enterprise Programme with the Christmas Trade Fair later on in the year and the Regional Final and National Finals in the New Year so there is plenty time for students to start working on ideas and start their own business. 

If you would like to get involved in the South Cork Schools Enterprise Programme please contact Katherine Corkery on 086 0422220 or at hello@corkschoolsenterprise.ie

For more information, see www.localenterprise.ie/SouthCork/

For more information, contact:

Katherine Corkery, Co-ordinator, South Cork Schools Enterprise Programme Tel: 086 0422220 Email: hello@corkschoolsenterprise.ie

About the South Cork Schools Enterprise Programme:

The Schools Enterprise Programme is an enterprise education programme that aims to provide support to second level schools wishing to embrace entrepreneurial projects and stimulate business skills within their school curriculum. A range of interactive enterprise activities are organised during the school year to encourage students from 1st to 6th year to learn more about entrepreneurship and what’s involved in setting up and running their own business.

The South Cork Schools Enterprise Programme is funded by the Local Enterprise Office South Cork.

The first Student Enterprise National Final was held in 2002, but the County & City Enterprise Boards have been involved in delivering enterprise education to second level schools in Ireland since 1996. For further details check out www.studententerprise.ie.