Students from Bray have taken the sustainable innovation award prize at this year’s Student Enterprise Programme National Finals. The Finals of the Local Enterprise Office initiative took place on May 7th in Mullingar.
Supported by Local Enterprise Office Wicklow, the winning students were Elodie O’Brien and Ema Marcu, who worked under the guidance of their teachers, Emer Marschner and Ryan Pepper. Their student enterprise, Bin Better, created a sustainable bokashi food waste bin.
The event was hosted by broadcasters Rick O’Shea and Ruth Scott, and they were joined during the ceremony by Alan Dillon, T.D., Minister of State for Employment, Small Business and Retail, to announce the winners across the three main categories on the day.
There were 88 student businesses in contention across three main categories for the Final in what is Ireland’s largest entrepreneurship programme for second-level students. The initiative, funded by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment through Enterprise Ireland and delivered by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities throughout the country, saw over 30,000 students from 500 secondary schools take part.
Cathaoirleach, Wicklow County Council Cllr Melanie Corrigan commented, “Huge congratulations to Elodie O’Brien and Ema Marcu from Woodbrook College on their fantastic achievement in winning the Sustainable Innovation Award at this year’s Student Enterprise Programme National Finals. Their business idea, Bin Better, is an excellent example of creativity, innovation and environmental awareness being developed by young people in County Wicklow. Congratulations also to their teachers, Emer Marschner and Ryan Pepper, whose support and guidance played an important role in this success. Wicklow is extremely proud to see our young entrepreneurs recognised on the national stage.”
Emer O’Gorman, Chief Executive, Wicklow County Council, commented, “This is a tremendous achievement for the Wicklow team and a wonderful reflection of the talent, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit emerging from our schools. Elodie and Ema demonstrated not only creativity and business ability, but also a strong focus on sustainability and practical problem-solving through their enterprise, Bin Better. Congratulations to the students, their teachers and everyone involved through Local Enterprise Office Wicklow in supporting their journey to the National Finals. We look forward to seeing what these young entrepreneurs achieve in the future.”
Alan Dillon, T.D., Minister of State for Employment, Small Business and Retail, said, “This is one of the great days for Irish entrepreneurship in the country. We get to see almost 90 businesses started by secondary school students from across the country, all shortlisted for the finals, and that in itself is an amazing achievement from the 30,000 pupils who started last September.
“These are students who have come up with brilliant ideas and forged them into businesses, making sales, understanding and learning the skills it takes to become an entrepreneur. No matter what path they choose in life, those skills will stand by them, but we hope that many of the students we see today will go on to become the start-up leaders and entrepreneurs of the future in this country.”
The National Final students, who competed across three categories, Junior, Intermediate and Senior, were all in attendance on the day exhibiting their businesses, which were judged by a team of national business experts and mentors. Each student enterprise was challenged to create, set up, and run their own business, which must show sales of their service or product. The judging panel included business owners and representatives from enterprise agencies and associated bodies.
The Student Enterprise Programme is open to students of all ages at secondary level, with three separate categories – Junior (1st year), Intermediate (2nd and 3rd year) and Senior (4th, 5th and 6th year, LVA, LCA and Youth Outreach).
The Student Enterprise Programme is funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland and delivered by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities throughout the country. Since the Student Enterprise Programme began in 2003, over 500,000 students have taken part, learning key skills in creating, starting, and growing a business.
The Student Enterprise Programme is one of several initiatives run by the Local Enterprise Offices to foster entrepreneurship across the country. Others include Local Enterprise Week, the National Enterprise Awards, National Women’s Enterprise Day and Local Enterprise Showcase. The Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities are funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland.
Pictured above are Elodie O’Brien and Ema Marcu from Woodbrook College, winners of the Sustainable Innovation Award at the Student Enterprise Programme National Finals, pictured alongside Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council, Cllr. Melanie Corrigan, Chief Executive of Wicklow County Council, Emer O’Gorman, Vibeke Delahunt, Head of Enterprise, Local Enterprise Office Wicklow and their teacher Emer Marschner. Photo credit: Jill O’Meara Photography.