Tullamore College win Offaly Student Enterprise Awards 2011/2012 with C-Lane!
Students and teachers from all over Offaly gathered in the Tullamore Court Hotel on Thursday 8th March for the announcement of the winners of the Offaly Student Enterprise Awards.
The overall winner of the Senior Category was a project called C-Lane Ltd from Tullamore College. The business set up by the students is involved in the manufacture and sale of a specially designed laser which attaches to a bicycle to create a bike lane. It was clear from speaking with the students that they put a huge amount of time and effort into the business. This hard work paid off for the students in the end. The runner-up was “A.C.N. Craft Design” from Killina Presentation Secondary School recycle old horseshoes and design and make various products from these including wine racks and boot removers.
The Intermediate category winner “Shelvz” hailed from St. Brendan’s Community School, Birr, owned by Micheál Carroll, who makes locker dividers. The Junior category winner “Evan Tan Tone” was also from St. Brendan’s Community School. First year students Paula Donnelly and Nicole Cooper have developed an innovative fake tan roll on applicator.
This year a total of 27 businesses from 8 schools and over 100 students reached the County Final.
As well as sharing the prize fund of almost €3,000, the winner of each category (Junior, Intermediate and Senior) received a perpetual trophy, and every student received a certificate to mark their participation in the competition.
The National Student Enterprise Awards Programme, run by the County & City Enterprise Boards offers second level students the opportunity to take a business from the ideas stage through to market research and production, selling their product, keeping records and finally writing a report on their activities.
The competition is organised by Offaly County Enterprise Board to encourage entrepreneurship in the second level education system.
A special teachers’ prize draw was held and gift vouchers went to Patsy Griffin and Gordon McDonnell of St. Mary’s Secondary School, Edenderry.
On behalf of the organisers, Geraldine Beirne firstly thanked the teachers involved for their support and acknowledged that without their commitment the Student Enterprise Awards could not take place. She also thanked the judges Peter Sullivan, Byrne Casey & Associates, Tullamore and Carmel Ormond, Offaly Local Development Company for giving of their time as well as the staff of Offaly CEB for their efforts in organising the competition. Finally, she gave a special word of thanks to the students for their hard work and enthusiasm.
She wished the winners every success at the National Final, which will be held in Croke Park on Wednesday 18th April.
About the Student Enterprise Awards
The Student Enterprise Awards was introduced in the 2002/03 academic year. Now more than 15,000 student businesses are set up annually in schools all around Ireland.
We believe in the importance of educating students at an early age to gain practical experience of how business works. Through the Student Enterprise Awards the students experience, at first hand, the reality of a commercial environment and develop the skills and knowledge of running a business.
The competition starts at county level with representatives from each category – Junior, Intermediate and Senior – going forward to represent Offaly in the National Final.
