Kildare students with brains to burn set for National Entrepreneurship Final
The Final will take place in May
Teenage entrepreneurs from St Wolstan’s Community School in Celbridge will represent County Kildare at this year’s Student Enterprise Programme National Final.
The announcement was made today by Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Kildare.
The students all took part in the County Final on February 29, which was held at the Killashee Hotel in Naas.
122 students from 34 schools took part in the annual programme locally.
Speaking at the County Final, Jacqui McNabb, Head of Enterprise at LEO Kildare congratulated the students, saying: "We have a very successful student enterprise programme here in Kildare, with over 122 students from 34 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 May."
Ms McNabb 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 teamwork, will help them become more entrepreneurial throughout their future careers," she concluded.
The enterprise education initiative, funded by the government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland and delivered by the 31 LEOs in local authorities throughout the country, saw over 28,000 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 Final.
In the Senior Category of the competition, Kildare will be represented by Tandy Hand from St Wolstan’s Community School in Celbridge.
- Zoe Shannon, Managing Director
- Caoimhe Ní Drisceoil, Finance Manager
- Maeve Foley Wollmer, Purchasing & Stock Control Manager
- Alannah Morley, Marketing & Sales Manager
The local students will be competing against hundreds of other student entrepreneurs from all over Ireland at the Student Enterprise Programme National Final, taking place in the Mullingar Park Hotel on May 9.
Since the Student Enterprise Programme began in 2003, over 380,000 students have taken part, learning skills on how to create a business idea, start a business and grow a business.
The Programme also has new range of online resources for 2023/2024 at www.studententerprise.ie, which will feature regular blogs and houses a full range of Student Enterprise resources for students and teachers.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Participating schools in the Student Enterprise Programme:
- Ardscoil na Trionóide, Athy
- Colaiste Chiaran, Leixlip
- Colaiste Lorcan, Castledermot
- Gaelcholaiste Chill Dara, Naas
- Kildare town Community School
- Naas Community College
- Patrician Secondary School, Newbridge
- Salesians College, Celbridge
- Newbridge College
- Scoil Dara, Kilcock
- St Mary’s College, Naas
- St Conleth’s Community School, Newbridge
- St Paul’s Secondary School, Monasterevin
- St Wolstan’s Community School, Celbridge
Names of winning enterprises:
- Idea Award – Runner-up – J & D Chrimbo Trees, Ardscoil na Tionóide
- Idea Award – Winner – Compostable Creations, Colaiste Chiaran
- Finance Award – Runner-up – Panco, St. Conleth’s Community School
- Finance Award – Winner – Evil Eye, Newbridge College
- Business Plan Award – Runner-up – Machesstic, Naas Community School
- Business Plan Award – Winner – Cozy Creatures, Colaiste Chiaran
- Sales Award – Runner-up – New Leaf, Colaiste Lorcan
- Sales Award – Winner – Boardz, Patrician Secondary School
- Innovation Award – Runner-up – Pyne, Salesians College
- Innovation Award – Winner – Comfy Creatures, St Wolstan’s
- Marketing Award – Runner-up – Keep it Resin, St Wolstan’s
- Marketing Award – Winner – Scrubadub Ducky, St Mary’s College
- Sustainability Award – Runner-up – Saol Nua, Colaiste Chiaran
- Sustainability Award – Winner – Landscaped – Patrician Secondary School
- Two Special Merit Awards – Uaimse Chugat, Newbridge College and Plagues and Keyrings, Kildare town Community School
- 2nd Runner-up – I Fold, Scoil Dara
- 1st Runner-up – Seo Í Éire, St Paul’s Secondary School
- Kildare Overall Winner 2024 – Tandy Hand, St Wolstan’s Community School