Future entrepreneurs take centre stage at Student Enterprise Awards County Final
The Sligo Student Enterprise Awards organised by Sligo County Enterprise Board were held in the Sligo Park Hotel on the 8th of March last with the Overall Winner going forward to the National Student Enterprise Awards Final, being held in the Croke Park Conference Centre in Dublin on April 14th next. Times may be tough at the moment but clearly the spirit of enterprise is alive and well as five Sligo second-level schools produced 25 businesses for the event! According to Stephen Walshe of Sligo County Enterprise Board, standards at the competition continue to rise each year.
‘County & City Enterprise Boards nationally promote entrepreneurship in the classroom through the National Student Enterprise Awards Competition, which these Students are competing in. The aim of the awards is to promote entreneurship, and raise the possibility of enterprise in student’s minds as something they could consider in future years even after college or other work,’ says Stephen. ‘Every year we in Sligo County Enterprise Board see extremely capable Students who rise to the challenge of setting up and running a business within the timeframe of the competition, and often, the Students continue to run the business beyond it. The standard of entries rises year on year, and it is now common to see Students dealing with suppliers over the ‘phone or via the internet, sub-contracting out manufacturing and marketing their products and services creatively and cost effectively using the internet and social media.’
Teacher Taryn Kelly has been working on this Mini Company Programme with Transition year students at St. Mary’s College, Ballisodare for a number of years, and sees benefits for the students as they learn skills such as decision making and teamwork through the competition. ‘No other subject provides them with these kinds of practical skills,’ says Taryn who goes on to explain the level of work and commitment required by the students in order to fully participate. ‘We start work in partnership with the County Enterprise Board in September. We look at areas like idea generation, sales & marketing & report writing. Roles in each company have to be decided and the teams have to work together, taking on responsibilities and meeting deadlines. There is a lot of assistance available in the Student Workbooks, and on the competition website, www.studententerprise.ie. Students often have to work outside of school hours in order to get everything done’.
The level of work that Taryn speaks of was very evident on the day. The students from all participating schools had put together display stands to showcase their mini companies that ranged from innovative websites, board games, technology guides for older people, calendars, a young persons magazine, cookbooks and more. The Judges, Liam Kiely of Sligo County Enterprise Board & Nicola Mc Manus of Leitrim County Enterprise Board had the unenviable and challenging task of selecting both the Overall Winner and the Category Winners on the day.
Follwoing the Judges deliberations, Ursuline College came away with the Overall Winner Award. The ‘Nothing in the Fridge’ mini-company was selected by the Judges, due primarily to the quality of their product, an easy-to-follow cookbook, aimed predominantly at Students featuring budget-friendly, nutritious recipes.The Company secured sponsorship from a number of local businesses and produced a professional cookbook which is on sale now!
The full breakdown of Winners was:
Overall Winner – ‘Nothing in the Fridge’, Ursuline College, Sligo
Runner-up – ‘Beautiful & Green’, Mercy College, Sligo
Third Place – ‘Sugradh’, St. Mary’s, Ballisodare
Corporate Social Responsibility Award – ‘Pamper Hampers’, Ursuline College, Sligo
Best Report Award – ‘Wander West Sligo’, Jesus & Mary Secondary School, Enniscrone
Best Display Award – ‘Tech-no-Logic’, Mercy College, Sligo
Best Interview – ‘Helping Hand Books’, Coola Post-Primary.
The County & City Enterprise Boards National Student Enterprise Awards Final will take place in Croke Park Conference Centre in Dublin on April 14th next. Sligo County Enterprise Board would like to wish ‘Nothing in the Fridge’ the very best of luck in the National Final, and also to commend all of the participating Students, Schools & Teachers for all their hard work!