Pictures show Sligo’s up and coming entrepreneurs receiving Student Enterprise awards
Senior Category Overall Winner - Conors Cuts Back: Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council, Councillor Michael Clarke, Stephen Walshe, Business Adviser, LEO Sligo. Front: Eleanor Corcoran (teacher), Conor Burke and Elaine Byrne.
Junior Category Overall Winner - Centrestone Jewellery. Back: Cathaoirleach Cllr. Michael Clarke, Ciara Moran (Teacher) and Stephen Walshe, Business Adviser, LEO Sligo. Front: Sorcha McDermott, Katie Doherty and Aoibheann Carden.
Senior Category Runner-Up - The Crafty Bee. Back: Eleanor Corcoran (teacher), Stephen Walshe, Business Adviser, LEO Sligo, Business Adviser, LEO Sligo, Elaine Byrne (teacher). Front: Jennifer Blakeney, Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council, Cllr. Michael Clarke, and Erin McCormack.
Special Merit Award - HeadBand Headers. Back: Siobhan Flaherty (Teacher) and Cathaoirleach of Cllr. Michael Clarke. Front: Isabella Benito-Bouquet, Aoife Johnston, Tara Hosey and Ally O’Hara.
My Entrepreneurial Journey Junior Category Winner - Guildea Designs. Rachel Scanlon (teacher), Alice Guildea and Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council, Cllr. Michael Clarke.
3rd place Senior Category - Compen. Back: Cathaoirleach Cllr. Michael Clarke, Stephen Walshe, Business Adviser, LEO Sligo, Business Adviser, LEO Sligo and Kieran Lynam (teacher). Front: Colm Egan, Oisin Devlin and Conor McMillan.
Marketing Award - Glo Candles.Back: Brenda Walker (teacher). Front: Katie Walshe, Cathaoirleach Cllr. Michael Clarke and Michela Volante.
Best Commercial Business Award - Sports Tape Sligo. David Kennedy, Cathaoirleach Cllr. Michael Clarke, Naoise Fitzgerald and Dervilla Casey (teacher).
Design Award - Fine Line. Back: Josephine Hughes (Teacher), Colm Flanagan, Cathaoirleach Cllr. Michael Clarke and Michael Horkan (Principal). Front: Evan Finnerty, Mikey Coen, Sean Kubican and William McCameron.
e-Commerce Award - Alchemia Candles. Back: Cathaoirleach Cllr. Michael Clarke and Josephine Hughes (teacher). Front: Olivia Jackson, Kayla Cuskelly, Marta Gallo Gimene and Lisa Farrell.
Innovation Award - Book Cozy. Back: Cathaoirleach Cllr. Michael Clarke and Stephen Walshe, Business Adviser, LEO Sligo. Front: Lauren Healy, Sarah Dufficy and Sarah Walshe.
Intermediate Category Overall winner - Elite Dance Class. Back: Cathaoirleach Cllr. Michael Clarke, Judith Bailey (teacher) and Stephen Walshe, Business Adviser, LEO Sligo. Front: Aisling Gillen, Amelia Duffy and Ruby Oldfield.
Local Enterprise Office Sligo have announced that teenage entrepreneurs from Colaiste Iascaigh, Easkey, Corrran College, Ballymote and Jesus & Mary Secondary School, Enniscrone will represent Sligo at this year’s Student Enterprise Programme National Finals on Friday, May 5. The finals make a return to Croke Park for the first time since 2019.
The students all took part in the Sligo County Final on March 23, which was held at the Sligo Park Hotel. An estimated 900 students from 11 second-level schools took part in the annual programme in Co. Sligo.
The enterprise education initiative, funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland and delivered by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities throughout the country, saw over 25,000 students from just under 500 secondary schools across the country take part in 2021 / 2022.
The programme supports students to create, design and market their own business, all with the hope of reaching the National Finals.
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In the Junior Category, the students representing Sligo at the National Finals are: Sorcha McDermott, Katie Doherty and Aoibheann Carden from ‘Centrestone Jewellery’ at Colaiste Iascaigh.
In the Intermediate Category, Aisling Gillen, Amelia Duffy and Ruby Oldfield, of ‘Elite Dance Class’ from Corran College will be representing the county at the Finals.
In the Senior Category of the competition, Sligo will be represented on May 5th by Conor Burke from ‘Conor’s Cutz’ at Jesus & Mary Secondary School.
Special guests at the County Final included Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council, Cllr. Michael Clarke who said: “It is heartening to see such fantastic enterprise and endeavour on display here today by students from all corners of County Sligo.
The level of enterprise, confidence and ingenuity demonstrated by this entire group of students gives me extreme confidence that County Sligo will continue to thrive as an excellent place to live, invest and visit.”
John Reilly, Head of Enterprise, Sligo County Council congratulated the students, saying: “We have a very successful student enterprise programme here in Sligo, with over 900 students from 11 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 5th, and we will all hope to be there to support them. 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 team-work, will help them become more entrepreneurial throughout their future careers”.
Overall Winner: Centrestone Jewellery, Colaiste Iascaigh
Runner-Up: LLA Keyholders, Colaiste Iascaigh
Intermediate Category Results
Overall Winner: Elite Dance Class, Corran College
Senior Category Results
Overall Winner: Conor’s Cutz, Jesus & Mary Secondary School
Runner-Up: The Crafty Bee, Jesus & Mary Secondary School
3rd Place: Compen, Grange Post-Primary School
Marketing Award: Glo Candles, Ursuline College
Innovation Award: Book Cozy, Mercy College
Best Report Award: Sapphire Soaps, Colaiste Iascaigh
Design Award: Fine Line, St. Mary’s College
Best Commercial Business Award: Sports Tape Sligo, Summerhill College
e-Commerce Award: Alchemia Candles, St. Mary’s College
Special Merit Award: Headband Headers, St. Attracta’s College
Special Merit Award: The Craft Sisters, Colaiste Muire
Special Merit Award: OJ Horseshoe Art, Coola Post-Primary School
My Entrepreneurial Journey Junior Winner: Guildea Design, Corran College
