Three student enterprises from Westmeath will be representing the county at the 10th annual Student Enterprise Awards national final in Dublin’s Croke Park on Wednesday April 18.
Coordinated locally by the Westmeath County Enterprise Board, the competition is the largest programme of its kind in the country. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the first Student Enterprise Awards national final and since last September, 16,647 budding entrepreneurs from 387 secondary schools across the country have been researching, setting up, and running their own enterprises, with help from their teachers and local enterprise boards.
The three student enterprises representing Westmeath on April 18 are: ‘Croí’ from Moate Community School, Moate in the junior category; ‘Birth Stars’, from Athlone Community College, Athlone in the intermediate category; and‘Sheep Shoe’ from Marist College, also in Athlone, representing the county in the senior category.
On the morning of April 18 over 300 finalists from all over the country, including the Westmeath finalists, will descend upon GAA headquarters to set up enterprise exhibition displays before taking part in a series of judging interviews. Adjudicators mark the budding entrepreneurs on key business areas such as innovation, market research, sales, production, marketing, finances, and planning.
Tracey Tallon from the Westmeath County Enterprise Board has praised the local student entrepreneurs, saying: “Our local budding entrepreneurs from Westmeath have all successfully researched, set up and managed a business over the last year, learning important business and enterprise skills along the way. Their families, communities, schools, and teachers can be very proud of what they have achieved as they take on the role of student enterprise ambassadors for the county at this year’s national final in Croke Park.”
