Enterprising students from local schools set for national finals

YOUNG entrepreneurs from three local schools have been selected to go on to this year’s Student Enterprise Programme National Finals, which will take place at the Helix on Wednesday, May 18.

Local Enterprise Office South Dublin announced the winning teenager entrepreneurs from St Colmcille’s Community School, Knocklyon and Loreto High School, Rathfarnham.

The finals will return to a physical event this year in Dublin having been held online in 2020 and 2021.

The students took part in the South Dublin Final on April 5, which was held in the Maldron Hotel, Tallaght. Around 80 students from nine schools from around the County took part in the programme.

The following schools participated in the programme, and they were finalists on the day – Citywise Education, Tallaght, Greenhills College, Walkinstown, St Joseph’s College, Lucan, The Kings Hospital, Palmerstown, Kingswood Community College, Tallaght, Lucan Community College, Lucan, Moyle Park College, Clondalkin, St Colmcille’s, Knocklyon and Loreto High School, Beaufort.

In the Junior Category of the competition South Dublin will be represented by Louise Liu, Grace Gorman and Lucy McNamara from Loreto High School for their project Crazy Candles.

St Joseph’s College with Deputy Mayor Alan Edge show off their awards

In the Senior Category of the competition, South Dublin will be represented by Niamh McGarry and Hannah Leahy from St Colmcille’s Community School, for their project Hand Sanitizer.

The local students will be competing against hundreds of other student entrepreneurs from all over Ireland at the Student Enterprise Programme National Finals in May.

Speaking at the county final, The Head of the Local Enterprise Office South Dublin Tom Rooney congratulated the students, saying: “We have a very successful student enterprise programme here in South Dublin, with over 80 students from nine 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 18th, and we will all hope to be there to support them.

Loreto High School students Louise Liu, Grace Gorman and Lucy McNamara in the Maldron Hotel

“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 teamwork, will help them become more entrepreneurial throughout their future careers.”