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It’s never too late to go green!

With County Finals fastly approaching, approximately 24,000 students from around the country are well into their student enterprise journey at this stage. Hopefully many of you will have either come up with a product or service with a sustainability element or have built sustainability into the day-to-day running of your business.

If not, don’t worry … remember it’s never too late to Go Green!

Here are our Top 10 Tips for ensuring your student enterprise is embracing sustainability (both in product and processes) and that you are doing your bit to drive innovation while respecting the natural resources of the future:

Top 10 tips:

1. Recycle boxes, bags, wrapping paper and jars etc. for packaging your products
2. Reduce your use of artificial light and use daylight when possible
3. Go plastic free where possible
4. Avoid printing. If you do need to print, print on the reverse side of used paper
5. Recycle or re-purpose waste materials from your production process. Could another student enterprise use your waste materials in their business?
6. Try to buy eco goods when purchasing raw materials
7. Boycott products that endanger wildlife
8. Does your business tie in with one or more of the Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs)?
9. Ensure you make your customers aware of the various ways that your products/services/processes are eco-friendly. This will make them feel good about their purchasing choice whilst also being confident in the knowledge that you are doing your bit for the planet? And with the added benefit of making a profit?  Win/Win!
10. Offer reduced price refills to customers so that they re-use their original container

Judges will be looking at how your business is sustainable and will award marks for this in the sustainability/global world category and also in the innovation category. Plus … this year we are awarding a new ‘Green Go Getter’ Award kindly sponsored by the EPA

Whoever coined the phrase “every little helps” was spot on.  Together, we can all make a difference.  Individually, your student enterprise can make a world of difference.  Don’t underestimate your power to help make a change.

Check out some of our former SEP winners who championed sustainability with their student enterprises:

Media Release

14^th November 2022

MINISTER ENGLISH LAUNCHES IRELAND’S LARGEST STUDENT ENTERPRISE PROGRAMME FOR 2023

The Student Enterprise Programme relaunches for its 21^st year with the addition of three new awards

Today marks the launch of the 21^st Student Enterprise Programme, Ireland’s largest student entrepreneurial programme as Minister Damien English joined last year’s winners Barrelda from St. Patrick’s Classical School and their Principal and Meath GAA manager Colm O’Rourke in Navan.

An initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices to encourage entrepreneurship in secondary schools, the Student Enterprise Programme has seen over 325,000 secondary school students take part in the programme since it first began, with over 25,000 participants expected this year.

Participating students will compete across three categories, Junior (1^st year), Intermediate (2^nd and 3^rd year) and Senior (4^th, 5^th and 6^th 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 at Croke Park on Friday 5^th May.

In addition to the three categories that students will be grouped under by class, students can also submit their business model as part of the further ‘optional competitions’. This year will see the introduction of three additional categories of optional competitions including – the ‘Best Business Website’ sponsored by .IE, the “Green Go Getter Award” sponsored by the EPA, as well as the “Smart Business Idea” award sponsored by Folens. These three new awards categories are in addition to ‘My Entrepreneurial Journey’, ‘Social Stars’ and ‘Intellectual Property’ competitions from previous years.

Last year’s winner of the Student Enterprise Programme were “Barrelda” – an eco-innovation created by two young farmers from Co. Meath. Barrelda specialise in revamping old, blue polythene drums and recycling them to create meal silos and teat feeders. The young entrepreneurs have won high praise from eco organisations and farming organisations nationwide for their sustainability focused project which also addresses the rising costs of farming equipment.

The Student Enterprise Programme, 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 25,000 students from 464 secondary schools across the country take part in 2021/2022.

Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Damien English states: “The Student Enterprise Programme is a hugely valuable initiative by the Local Enterprise Offices.  Not only does it encourage and foster a love of entrepreneurship, it also creates understanding on what is involved in starting a running a business from idea right through to making sales.  No matter what these students do in later life they will acquire skills in this programme that they can bring with them into jobs and hopefully their own companies in the years to come.  Again this year we look forward to innovative and indeed sustainable businesses that these students will create.”

Michael Nevin, chair of the Education Enterprise Committee of the Local Enterprise Offices, said; “I am delighted to announce that the Student Enterprise Programme will return for 2022 / 2023, now within its 21^st year. 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. In addition to the three national categories, we have added to our optional competitions through our ‘Best Business Website’, ‘Go Green Go Better’ and ‘Smart Business Idea’ competitions, giving more students an opportunity to showcase their strengths and abilities. I would like to take this opportunity to wish every student the best of luck and we look forward to viewing submissions later this year.”

Ends

For further information:

Declan Lee – Enterprise Ireland – 087 695 7451 / Declan.Lee@enterprise-ireland.com

Aisling Hinchy – Drury – 086 035 3732 / aisling.hinchy@drury.ie

PREVIOUS STUDENT ENTERPRISE PROGRAMME WINNERS

2022

• Junior – Sew Stylsih – Brigid’s College, Callan
• Intermediate – Earrings by Aoibheann- Loreto College, Dalkey
• Senior – Barrelda – St. Patrick’s Classical School, Navan

2021

• Junior – Go Green Now – Salerno Secondary School, Galway
• Intermediate – T-Snappi – Summerhill College, Sligo
• Senior – Coppercase – St. Macartan’s College, Monaghan

2020

• Junior – Sofatop – Ballybay Community School, Monaghan
• Intermediate – Aim It Board – Loreto College, Dublin City
• Senior – Handy Hose – CBS Thurles, Tipperary

2019

• Junior – Specrest – Educate Together, Portmarnock
• Intermediate – Crios Mhadra – Presentation Secondary, Castleisland, Kerry
• Senior – Smooth Remove – Boherbue Comprehensive, North Cork

2018

• Junior – Complete Caman – Presentation Secondary School, CastleIsland, Kerry
• Intermediate – Lift Arm Assist – CBS Kilkenny
• Senior – Abbey Bread – Cistercian College, Roscrea, Offaly

2017

• Junior – Daisy’s Pawesome Bowties – Our Lady’s Secondary School, Drogheda
• Intermediate – Scott Engine Tables – Colaiste Chill Mhantain, Rathnew, Wicklow
• Senior – ROC Protection – Clonkeen College, Blackrock, Dublin

SEP 2022/23

Now Open for Registrations

Our 2022/23 programme is now open for school registration. As we enter our 21^st year, we are looking forward to welcoming back schools from previous years as well new schools from all around the country. This year’s programme promises to be better than ever with some additional awards up for grabs, including ‘Best Business Website’ and our new sustainability award.

Registering is easy – simply fill in our online School Registration Form and you’re done!  You’re local SEP Co-ordinator will take it from there.

To kickstart the SEP year with students in the next week or two, we have great videos here on the website to give students a taste of what SEP is all about. Check out our ‘Where Are They Now?’ SEP alumni video gallery & our 10 step SEP videos covering every stage of running a mini company.

National Final 2022 Results

SENIOR CATEGORY

1st Place, Barrelda – St. Patrick’s Classical School, Meath

2nd Place, Know Your Phone – Holy Rosary College, Mountbellew, Galway

3rd Place, Sports Injury Response – St. Columba’s College, Stranorlar, Donegal

Special Merit, Mearscaoilte – Presentation Secondary School, Castleisland, Co. Kerry

Special Merit, Smartarntu – Desmond College, Newcastlewest, Co. Limerick

INTERMEDIATE CATEGORY

1st Place, Earrings by Aoibheann – Loreto College, Dalkey, Dublin

2nd Place, Little People, Big Pasts – Ramsgrange Community School, New Ross, Wexford

3rd Place, Twin Painters – Colaiste Eamon Ris, Callan, Co. Kilkenny

Special Merit, How Music Changed My Life – CBS High School, Clonmel, Co. Tippperary

Special Merit, Mela no More – Desmond College, Newcastle West, Limerick

JUNIOR CATEGORY

1st Place, Sew Stylish – Brigid’s College, Callan, Co. Kilkenny

2nd Place, BEA Body Scrubs – Scoil Mhuire, Ennistymon, Co. Clare

3rd Place, Roley Poley – Presentation Secondary School, CastleIsland, Co. Kerry

Special Merit, Bee Free – Colaiste Mhuire, Crosshaven, Co Cork

Special Merit, The Wonderful Woodworkers – Colaiste Dun Iascaigh, Cahir, Co. Tipperary