Students show business acumen

STUDENT businesses from St Anne’s Secondary School in Killaloe and Coláiste Muire in Ennis will represent the county at the national Student Enterprise Awards next month.
Knot Me, a business set up by first year student, Dermot Foley of St Anne’s in Killaloe, took the first prize in the junior section of the county final of the Student Enterprise Awards. Transition year students, Sarah Cronin, Ciara Ryan, Emer Varley, Laura Kelly and Caoimhe Feerick of Coláiste Muire and their business Inky Pinky took the first prize in the senior section.
Their business makes nail varnish pens, while Knot Me supplies leather laces for deck shoes.
The winners were presented with their prizes at the county Student Enterprise Awards, supported by Clare County Enterprise Board, an the West County Hotel in Ennis recently.
Both will now go onto represent Clare at the national final of the competition in Croke Park, Dublin on April 18.
According to Sinéad Dixon of Clare County Enterprise Board, the county final was a huge success with 260 students participating in 62 projects.
She said there were “so many innovative and good business ideas” showcased as part of this year’s competition.
Others to take prizes at the event were Green Lights, also from St Anne’s Killaloe, which took second in the junior category; Rí Rá of Scariff Community College secured second prize in the senior category, while third place in the junior category went to Festive Fun also of St Anne’s Killaloe. Also from the same school, third prize in the senior category went to Vege Box. 
Special awards for business plan went to Beatz of Coláiste Muire, Ennis, for best stand presentation to Fusion of St Joseph’s Secondary School, Tulla, and a further special award for innovative concept went to Communiflash from St Patrick’s Comprehensive in Shannon.
“Clare County Enterprise Board aims to foster and develop enterprise awareness among secondary school students and to use the experience of setting up and running an enterprise as the primary means of learning about self-employment as a career option,” Ms Dixon said.
She added that having spoken to some of the young entrepreneurs she was “very impressed with the confidence, enthusiasm and business acumen displayed by the students”.
“Participation in the Student Enterprise Awards Programme is a great learning opportunity for students as they gain invaluable on the ground experience outside of the conventional classroom environment. The role of the teacher involved is also of great importance,” she concluded.
The awards were adjudicated by Seamus O’Sullivan and John Quinlivan, business consultants; Mary Rogers, Enterprise Ireland and Eoin Tynan O’Mahony, manager of Plato Mid West.