Dungarvan Double at Student Enterprise Awards

Two schools from Dungarvan will represent Waterford in the National Student Enterprise Final.

Deise Publications from CBS Dungarvan won the Waterford senior section this afternoon. They created, produced and sold Greenway calendars.

A&K Crafts from Ardscoil na Deise won the Intermediate Section. They created and sold seasonal plates and mugs

140 students representing 12 schools presented their business plans at the WIT Arena today.

The Waterford Student Enterprise Programme started in September with 1,000 students from 15 schools in Waterford City and County. They created their businesses, developed, branded, promoted and sold. But most importantly they learned what it felt like to run their own business.

Deise Publications and A&K Crafts will represent Waterford at the National Finals on May 2nd in Croke Park taking on 34 other businesses, the best of the rest of the country.

Co-ordinated by the Local Enterprise Office Waterford, the competition is the most successful programme of its kind in the country. 25,000 budding entrepreneurs from 380 secondary schools across the country have been running their own enterprises, with help from their teachers and Local Enterprise Offices. Finalists from all over the country will set-up enterprise exhibition displays before taking part in a series of judging interviews. The judging panels take numerous factors into account, such as business reporting, innovation, market research, risk management and finances.

Praising the teachers and local schools involved in the programme, Richie Walsh, Head of Enterprise at the Local Enterprise Office Waterford, said: "The Student Enterprise Programme encourages and enables students to take on the world of business and develop an entrepreneurial mind-set. By fostering an enterprising culture in the classroom, the Local Enterprise Offices are working with teachers and schools to help nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs."