Skip to main content
Category

Blog

Feb 11 2025

NEW Accelerator Bootcamp Launched for 2025

By Blog, Case Studies, Media

 
 

NEW Innovation Accelerator Camp

– in collaboration with Patch

 

Five lucky student enterprise teams will be hanging out at the Patch Accelerator Innovation Hub this Summer thanks to a very exciting new initiative at the Student Enterprise Programme (SEP).

 

A brand-new element to the SEP for 2025, this new initiative gives students an incredible opportunity to accelerate the potential of their business ideas with guidance from a team of world class entrepreneurs. Patch is a business accelerator programme for talented young people who want to work on impactful projects and creative business ideas. Located in the heart of Dublin’s digital docklands, it is located in a unique and thriving community of Irish start-ups, international companies and innovative social enterprises.

Our mission at the Student Enterprise Programme is to foster a spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation in second level schools across the country. Year on year we are truly amazed at the creative thinking and business acumen shown by our participants. We understand that it is not always possible, with the confines of time and resources, for students to bring a highly innovative business idea to market within the 8 months of the Programme. Our new accelerator programme will give students who have come up with a particularly innovative idea this year the opportunity to see just where their idea can go! Regardless of whether they made it to their County Finals or National Final.

Each of the 31 LEO regions have been invited to nominate one student enterprise to be put forward for consideration for the accelerator programme and a special selection committee will shortlist nominations to the Final 5 lucky winners.

Winners will be announced in April.

Feb 05 2025

Inaugural 2025 Alumni Achievement Award

By Blog, Media

Inaugural 2025 Alumni Achievement Award

We are delighted to announce the launch of our inaugural SEP Alumni Achievement Award.

This award will recognise outstanding alumni who have excelled in their entrepreneurial journey since taking part in the Student Enterprise Programme. With over 400,000 students having taken part in the Student Enterprise Programme over the past 23 years, we have seen some incredible young entrepreneurs make their mark in the business world.

We have launched a campaign asking former SEP students to get in contact with us to let us know if they continued their business after finishing the Programme. We also welcome applications from students who have gone on to work for other organisations/companies and brought their entrepreneurial expertise with them into their roles.

Any alumni interested in putting themselves forward for this award should contact our National Co-ordinator Yvonne O’Neill for further details on nationalcoordinator@studententerprise.ie

We look forward to announcing our 2025 Alumni Achievement Award Winner at our National Final on Thursday 8th May in Mullingar.

Best of luck to all our alumni!

Jan 21 2025

All Set For County Finals!!!

By Blog

All Set For County Finals!!!

LEO RegionDate Venue
Carlow4th MarchWoodford Dolmen Hotel
Cavan11th MarchSlieve Russell Hotel
Clare26th FebruaryWest County Hotel, Ennis
Cork City11th MarchDevere Hall, University College Cork
DLRD 27th MarchRoyal Marine Hotel
Donegal12th MarchLetterkenny
Dublin City11th MarchMansion House
Fingal 13th MarchCrown Plaza, Blanchardstown
Galway20th MarchClayton Hotel
Kerry14th MarchMTU, Tralee
Kildare27th FebruaryKilashee Hotel
Kilkenny5th MarchLyrath Estate Hotel
Laois11th MarchMidlands Park Hotel, Portlaoise
Leitrim4th MarchThe Bush Hotel, Carrick On Shannon
Limerick TBCTBC
Longford 13th MarchLongord Arms Hotel
Louth13th MarchFairways Hotel, Dundalk
Mayo6th MarchGreat National Hotel, Ballina
Meath11th MarchKnightsbrook Hotel, Trim
Monaghan 27th FebruaryGlencarn Hotel Castleblayney
North Cork 25th FebruarySpringfort Hall Hotel
Offaly4th MarchTullamore Court Hotel
Roscommon 1st AprilAthlone Springs Hotel
Sligo6th MarchSligo Park Hotel
South Cork25th MarchMTU, Cork
South Dublin13th MarchMaldron Hotel Tallaght
Tipperary7th MarchTUS Thurles
Waterford4th MarchThe Park Hotel
West Cork4th MarchCeltic Ross Hotel, Rosscarbery
Westmeath4th MarchTUS Athlone
Wexford6th MarchWexford County Hall
Wicklow27th FebruaryClermount House, Rathnew
Jan 21 2025

By Blog, Media

Folens logo

Folens’ SMART Business Competition 2025

 

Calling all SEP teachers … do you fancy winning a  3D Printer for your school?????

We have two to give away between now and April!!!

 

To enter: simply send us your best SMART BUSINESS TIP for running student enterprise with your students…. What is your #1 Best Tip??????

Use the hashtag #SEPSMARTBusinessTip and post to your Twitter, Instagram or Facebook account.

Entry deadline is Monday 14th April

 

With thanks to our sponsors Folens

Dec 18 2024

SEP 2024/25 Official Launch

By Blog, Case Studies

IRELAND’S LARGEST STUDENT BUSINESS PROGRAMME LAUNCHED FOR 24/25

The largest student entrepreneurship programme in the country was launched today for it’s 23rd year. The Student Enterprise Programme, an initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices, has seen over 400,000 students take part since it began.

The Student Enterprise Programme, which is 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 28,000 students from almost 500 secondary schools across the country take part in 2023/2024.

Participating students will compete across three categories, Junior (1st year), Intermediate (2nd and 3rd year) and Senior (4th, 5th and 6th year, LVA, LCA and Youth Outreach). Each student enterprise is challenged with creating, setting up and running their own business, which must show viable sales of their service or product. Following county and regional finals Student Enterprises from across the country will take part in the Final next May.

Students at the National Final will compete to be named overall Student Enterprise of the Year 2025 with the Final taking place on the 8th May, 2025.

Gareth Evans, Chair of the Enterprise Education Committee, Local Enterprise Offices, said; “The Student Enterprise Programme continues to play a key role for the Local Enterprise Offices in helping to foster entrepreneurship and business skills in students at an early age. Each year we receive an overwhelming number of submissions which shows the true appetite amongst Irish school students who wish to learn the skills and practices for a successful life in business and no doubt this year will be no different. No matter what happens they are transferable skills they can bring forward in their lives and that’s the greatest thing about the programme. We’re looking forward to seeing all the amazing ideas coming through from the Student Enterprise Programme Class of 2025.”

The Student Enterprise of the Year for 2024 was “High Lift” from St. Patrick’s Classical School in Navan, Co. Meath. The idea, created by Sean Finnegan and his business Finnegan Fabrication, manufactures portable cranes that can be fitted to the interior of commercial vans to help those in construction and similar industries to lift heavy materials in and out.

Nov 19 2024

Record Year For SEP Alumni Anthony O’Gorman

By Blog, Media

Record Year For SEP Alumni Anthony O’Gorman

Projected product sales of 15,000 units in 2024…. Supplier to 138 Dunnes Stores & 180 Lidl branches Nationwide …. Huge growth in online sales to Irish living abroad … Featured on The Late Late Toy Show …

It’s not Christmas at SEP until we see the adorable wooden reindeers from Anthony’s Wooden Crafts on full display in retail outlets across the country!

Anyone who has been to Dunnes Stores shopping at Christmas time in recent years will recognise the wooden reindeers in this picture! Since 2021 Anthony has been supplying his wooden reindeers to Dunnes Stores outlets across the country.
And we are delighted to let you know that you are going to see many more over the coming weeks as Anthony is now being stocked by Lidl nationwide in the run up to Christmas!

What started as an idea for his student enterprise business in school to help him buy a new mobile phone has led this enterprising young Offaly man to becoming a very successful entrepreneur at just 19 years of age, supplying supermarkets nationwide and selling to customers online across the globe. Over the years Anthony has expanded his product range to include a range of bespoke wooden garden furniture including planters, ornaments, wishing wells, see-saws and more.

Anthony is a great example of where determination, hard work and perseverance can take you.

This young Irish entrepreneur has received many awards over the past five years for his excellence in enterprise, including the Offaly Local Enterprise Awards One-To-Watch Award. He was also a finalist in the Tullamore Chamber Awards Best Start-Up category.

Anthony’s business mantras include:

“If you don’t think BIG don’t be surprised if you stay small”
                                              &
“Face the pain of discipline because the pain of regret is 10 times worse”

Wise words for over 28,000 students taking part in this year’s programme.

 Check out Anthony’s full range of Christmas and Summer products on his website www.anthonyswoodcrafts.com