The students all took part in the Sligo County Final on 6th March, which was held at the Sligo Park Hotel. An estimated 9,000 students from 12 second-level schools in Co. Sligo took part in the annual programme locally.

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 30,000 students from just under 500 secondary schools across the country take part in 2023 / 2024.  The programme supports students to create, design and market their own business, all with the hope of reaching the National Final.

In the Junior Category, the students representing Sligo at the National Final are: Hannah Fleming, Katie Conway, Alex Keaveney and Jack Rolston from ‘Christmas All Boxed Up’ at Coláiste Iascaigh.

In the Intermediate Category, Slone Irwin and Kayleigh Ruane from ‘S&K Gifts’ at Coláiste Iascaigh will be representing the county at the Final.

In the Senior Category of the competition, Sligo will be represented on May 8th by Conor Duffy, Finn Lee, Jayden Mulligan and Kristofeurs Petrosus from ‘Duffmeister’ of Ballinode College.

Special guests at the Sligo County Final included Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council, Cllr. Declan Bree, and Head of Enterprise Sligo County Council, Liam Kiely.

Guest Speaker at the event, Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council, Cllr. Declan Bree said:

‘It's inspiring to witness the entrepreneurial spirit flourishing among the youth of County Sligo! Your ingenuity and confidence reflect a promising business future for our county. Initiatives like the Student Enterprise Programme not only foster economic growth but also empower you, our youth, to pursue your passions and contribute to our community. I congratulate all the students who have made it to the County Final, and wish the overall winners at Junior, Intermediate and Senior level the very best of luck at the National Student Enterprise Programme Final on 8th May next!”.

Speaking at the county final, Liam Kiely, Head of Enterprise, Sligo County Council, congratulated the students, saying:

“We have a very successful student enterprise programme here in Sligo, with over 800 students from 12 second-level schools in the county taking part this year. Our national finalists are excellent ambassadors for the programme and we wish them the very best of luck on the 8th May next.  The ultimate aim of the Student Enterprise Programme run by the Network of Local Enterprise Offices is to provide targeted support and encouragement to assist students to develop a business idea 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”.

The local students will be competing against hundreds of other student entrepreneurs from all over Ireland at the Student Enterprise Programme National Final, taking place in the Mullingar Park Hotel on the 8^th May.  

Since the Student Enterprise Programme began in 2003, over 4100,000 students have taken part, learning key skills on how to create a business idea, start a business and grow a business.  The Student Enterprise Programme also has new range of online resources for 2024 / 2025 at www.StudentEnterprise.ie, which will feature regular blogs and houses a full range of Student Enterprise resources for students and teachers.    

Further information around the Student Enterprise Programme is available from www.studententerprise.ie and by searching #studententerprise on social media.