Cork students win at enterprise awards

Students from Cork have won the prize for best display at this year’s Local Enterprise Office (LEO) student enterprise programme national finals held recently in Mullingar.

Supported by LEO South Cork, students from St Mary’s Macroom won best display in the senior category.

Muireann Kerry and Sinead D’souza won with their student enterprise ‘Ean Bia’, which was a wild garden bird feed with a focus on sustainability, and they had worked under the guidance of their teacher, Arlene O’Donoghue, and programme coordinator Grainne Carmody.

The event was hosted by broadcasters Rick O’Shea and Louise Cantillon, and they were joined during the ceremony by Peter Burke, minister of enterprise, trade and employment, who announced the winners in the three main categories.

There were 85 student businesses in contention across three main categories in the final of Ireland’s largest entrepreneurship programme for second level students.

The initiative, funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland, and delivered by the 31 LEOs in local authorities across the country, saw more than 30,000 students from 500 secondary schools across the country take part.

Cork was also represented in the Junior Category by Furrbidden Pawetry (Caoilann O’Donovan) and in the Intermediate Category by Perfect Paws (Bess O’Leary, Olivia Connolly, Ella Matthews), all from Coláiste Muire Réalt na Mara in Crosshaven.

The Mayor of the County of Cork, Fianna Fáil councillor Joe Carroll, said the student enterprise programme continued to be a powerful platform for uncovering the next generation of Irish innovators and entrepreneurs.

“This year’s projects showcased incredible variety and talent, from smart agricultural solutions and handcrafted goods to digital tools for pet owners and sustainable seaweed ventures,” Mr Carroll said.

“What’s most exciting is that the journey doesn’t end here.

“The national finals are the beginning of something much bigger, and we’re proud to support students as they take their first steps into the world of business.

“We believe these students hold huge potential to shape Ireland’s economic future and make their mark on a global stage.”

The national final students, who competed across three categories, junior, intermediate and senior, all attended on the day, exhibiting their businesses, which were judged by a team of national business experts and mentors.

Each student enterprise was challenged with creating, setting up and running their own business, and with showing sales of their service or product.

The judging panel included business owners and representatives from enterprise agencies and associated bodies.