South Dublin teenage entrepreneurs get ready for Croke Park finals contest
By William O'Connor
EXCITEMENT is building for student entrepreneurs from South Dublin, who won the coveted honour of representing the county at the Student Enterprise Awards National Final in Croke Park on April 20.
Selection were made at the County Final on Friday, when the ITT campus in Tallaght buzzed with commercial endeavour as 14 schools from South Dublin competed at the regional finals.
Fifty-seven businesses, representing nearly 200 student entrepreneurs across thethree categories, showcased their enterprising acumen in the areas of health and fitness, sport, technology, beauty, crafts and textiles.
A total of 28 awards – worth more than €4,500 – were presented across the three categories to the winning projects, while 1st place winners in each category will represent South Dublin in Croke Park.
Judges were busy before and at the event interviewing students and awarding marks based on innovation, quality, marketing, sales, business report, finance and overall learning.
Local Enterprise South Dublin is fortunate to have a number of steadfast Sponsors and Champions on board, notably the Institute of Technology Tallaght who have supported the initiative for the past six years.
Other champions include Tallaght Square, The Echo, Aquazone, Spin 1038, Nic and Ali, Green Angel and Partas.
Praising the teachers and local schools involved in the programme, Colm Ward, Head of Local Enterprise, said: “The Student Enterprise Awards encourage and enable students to take on the world of business and develop an entrepreneurial mind-set. Local Enterprise Office South Dublin works with schools to help foster an enterprising culture in the classroom and nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs.”
The three main categories for the Student Enterprise Awards programme includes senior, intermediate and junior levels, with awards made for first and second place alongside awards for best innovation, display and social media. Additional special merit awards, many sponsored by our generous champions were made at the discretion of the judges.
The student enterprises representing South Dublin at the National Finals on April 20th in Croke Park are: Junior – Nae Nae’s Treasured Keepsakes (Renée Ní Thuathail), Coláiste De Híde; Intermediate – Find My Party (Paul Costello, Hugh Harney, Rishikesh Biju and Philip Omisore), Rockbrook Park; and Senior – Hurley Holders (Ben Kelly, Ciaran Cashman, Daniel O’Riordan and Nicholas Tannam), Coláiste Éanna.
Over 300 finalists from all over the country will set up enterprise exhibition displays before taking part in a series of judging interviews at the National Finals on April 20. As well as gaining substantial business experience, there is an impressive prize-fund on offer for the young entrepreneurs.
Further information about the National Finals in April is available on www.studententerprise.ie, which also has free resources and video tutorials for students and teachers for the 2016/2017 programme.
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