CORK CITY STUDENTS SET FOR CROKE PARK ENTREPRENEURSHIP FINAL
Local Enterprise Office Cork City have announced that teenage entrepreneurs from Colaiste An Spioraid Naoimh, will represent Cork City at this year’s Student Enterprise Programme National Finals on Friday 5th May. The Finals make a return to Croke Park for the first time since 2019. In the Senior Category of the competition, Cork City will be represented by Hassan Mannan, Amanat Baig, and Mamoon Ahmad from Good to Grow at Colaiste An Spioraid Naoimh. Their product is a sustainable plant fertiliser, which is manufactured from waste ground coffee, mixed with essential minerals for plant nutrition. The students, who carried out extensive research with horticulturalists to create the special mixture of ground coffee and minerals, are delighted to have won this year’s City final. They now progress to the national finals to represent Cork City and will enjoy the first prize of an all expenses paid trip to the OtterCares Global Business Academy Programme in Colorado this Summer.
The students all took part in the Cork City Student Enterprise Programme Final for the Local Enterprise Office Cork City on the 12th of March, which was held at Devere Hall, UCC. An estimated 700 students from 14 schools took part in the annual programme locally.
The enterprise education initiative, funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland and delivered by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities throughout the country, saw over 25,000 students from just under 500 secondary schools across the country take part in 2022 / 2023. The programme supports students to create, design and market their own business, all with the hope of reaching the National Finals.
Special guests at the Cork City Final included Barrie Collins, Managing Director, Otter Products, Claire Lyons, Otter Products, Jeff McCarthy, Otter Products, judges Seona Collins, Otter Products,
Carole O’Leary, Regional Programme Manager for 3rd level Student Entrepreneurship MTU. Entertainment at the event was provided by Stevie G.
Speaking at the county final, Dr Niall O’Keefe, Head of Local Enterprise Cork City, congratulated the students, saying “the quality of entries was particularly high this year, which was a direct result of the efforts of the teachers in each of the schools and was no doubt aided by the quality of the amazing prize for 2023 here in Cork City, which was sponsored by Otter Products”.
Olive Guerin, Assistant Business Advisor of Local Enterprise Office Cork City said, “We have a very successful student enterprise programme here in Cork City, with over 700 students from 14 local schools taking part this year. Our national finalists are excellent ambassadors for the programme and we wish them the very best of luck on Friday 5th, and we will all hope to be there to support them. In what has been a particularly challenging couple of years for students the programme has offered them an outlet outside of the usual school demands. 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”.
The local students will be competing against hundreds of other student entrepreneurs from all over Ireland at the Student Enterprise Programme National Finals, taking place at Croke Park in Dublin on the 5th May.
Since the Student Enterprise Programme began in 2003, over 350,000 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 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.
Further information around the Student Enterprise Programme is available from www.studententerprise.ie and by searching #studententerprise on social media.
or Contact Olive at olive_guerin@leo.corkcity.ie
Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal Blarney, Scoil Mhuire Cork, Glanmire Community College, Cork, Mount Mercy College, Cork, Colaiste an Phiarsigh, Coláiste Daibhéid, Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh, St Aloysius School, Bishopstown Community College, and Presentation Secondary School Balleyphehane all took part at the City final.
Names of winning enterprises
Local Enterprise Office Cork City 2023 Best Student Enterprise 1st Place
Good to Grow,.
Local Enterprise Office Cork City2023 Best Student Enterprise 2nd Place
Bee You, Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal Blarney
Local Enterprise Office Cork City 2023 Best Student Enterprise 3rd Place
Enhance Tech Knowledgey, Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh
Local Enterprise Office Cork City 2023 Best Display Stand
Rethink Fashion, Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal Blarney
Local Enterprise Office Cork City 2023 Best Sales
Pocket Caddy, Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal Blarney
Local Enterprise Office Cork City 2023 Best Business Report, Kryptic Candles
Mount Mercy College.
Local Enterprise Office Cork City 2023 Best Commercial Potential,
Crystally, Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal Blarney
Local Enterprise Office Cork City 2023 Best Innovation,
Student Solutions, Mount Mercy College,
Local Enterprise Office Cork City 2023 Best Sustainable idea,
JARDZ, Glanmire Community College, Cork
Local Enterprise Office Cork City Student Enterprise Educator of the Year 2023,
Rita Kelliher, Mount Mercy College.
Special merits went to Woodsey Crafts, from Colaiste Dabheid, and Cúl Cocaireacht, Colaiste an Phiarsaigh.
About the Student Enterprise Programme (studententerprise.ie)
The Student Enterprise Programme is co-ordinated by the Local Enterprise Offices and involves approximately 25,000 students from 500 secondary schools every year. It runs from September to May and the 2022/2023 National Final takes place online on the 5th May.
Website: www.studententerprise.ie / #studententerprise / Twitter: @StudentEntProg / Facebook: /studententerpriseprogramme / Instagram: /studententerpriseprogramme
