Schools across Tipperary are being encouraged to sign-up for this year’s Student Enterprise Programme (SEP) by new Brand Ambassador and rising Irish media star, Louise Cantillon.
A Limerick native and former second level school teacher herself, Louise will be encouraging the thousands of participating students this year as they embark on their exciting entrepreneurial journey, creating, setting up and running their own business to compete for the top prize of Student Enterprise of the Year.
Students from 1st year to 6th year can enter in the Junior, Intermediate and Senior categories. Participants will learn how to create and run their own business, picking up key skills along the way such as ideation, marketing, finance and sales.
The Student Enterprise Programme also has a new range of online resources for 2023/2024 at www.StudentEnterprise.ie including work books in Irish – registration must be completed by the end of September.
The competition is an initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices of Ireland and is the country’s largest enterprise programme for second level students, with this year marking the 22nd year of the hugely successful programme. Over 25,000 students from approximately 500 second level schools across the country are expected to take part.
St. Mary’s Secondary School in Nenagh, a long standing and enthusiastic supporter of the enterprise programme hosted the launch for this year’s competition.
Tipperary has had success over the years and last year saw students Kate McKenna, Orla Hayes, Sarah Brett, Issy Carr, Ellen O’Mara under the guidance of their teacher, Ms. Sharon Hynes from Ursuline Secondary School Thurles win Most Commercial Potential for their business Phone K.O.S.I.E in the very competitive Senior Category.
Colaiste Dun Iascaigh’s Rian O’Keeffe under the stewardship of his teacher Martina Harahill won 1st prize nationally in the ‘My Entrepreneurial Journey’ category.
CBS Thurles Premier Woodworking Padraic Callanan and Sean Bergin were awarded 2nd place nationally in the Intermediate Category. Their teacher Fergus O’Brien is no stranger to success in the programme when his team Handy Hose won 1st place in 2020 in the Senior category.
Also, four 1st year students Oran Bourke, Rian O Keefe, Luke Hackett, and Sean Lacey with direction from their teachers Martina Harrahill, Mr. Cunningham and Ms. Treacy from Coláiste Dún Iascaigh got a very special mention at the final prizegiving for their fundraising for the Dillon Quirke Foundation having raised €30,590 with their Student Enterprise Programme business Ard Foireann.
