Mayo Schools Encouraged to Sign Up for Ireland's Largest Enterprise Programme
Date: 16-09-2022
Schools across Mayo 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.
Mayo has had success in the competition, with Reflecto Tags from Mount St. Michael Secondary School, Claremorris, and Bootfresh from Ballinrobe Community School, both picking up Intellectual Property Awards in the 2021 competition at junior and senior categories respectively, Hydromobile X, Mount St. Michael Secondary School, Claremorris, Mayo was 3rd in My Entrepreneurial Journey and The Nephin Turf Co. from St. Tiernan’s College, Crossmolina, Co. Mayo. winning the Best Commercial Potential Award in 2019.
John Magee of LEO Mayo says “We believe the Student Enterprise Programme is a tremendous way to get young people thinking about starting their own business later in life. The stronger the pipeline of new entrepreneurs coming through the better for our economy down the line. 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.”
Last year the winners were Barrelda from Meath in the Senior Category with their business recycling poly drums from the farm for use as meal troughs and calf teat feeders. In the Intermediate category the winner was Earrings by Aoibheann from Dublin who created a range of jewellery for people who may be sensitive or allergic to traditional jewellery metals. The Junior category was won by Sew Stylish from Kilkenny who again recycled materials to create multifunctional scrunchies for hair that could also hold personal items such as keys and lip gloss.
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 house a full range of Student Enterprise resources for students and teachers.