Congratulations to young Drogheda entrepreneur Blathnaid Murphy of Daisy’s Pawesome BowTies who scooped the top prize in the Junior Category at the National Student Enterprise Awards this week. Over 22,000 teenagers nationally took part in the Student Enterprise Programme 2016-2017. The cream of the crop, 200 students from 77 mini companies, made it to the Student Enterprise National Finals in Croke Park last week. And young Blathnaid, from Our Lady’s Secondary School in Drogheda, absolutely shone!

Louth celebrated on the double with awards picked up by two local finalists. In addition to Bláthnaid’s company,  Dunopoly, from St. Mary’s College in Dundalk, collected the coveted Best Display Award in the Senior Category. This clever team of young entrepreneurs have launched www.dunopoly.com, a range of sports themed board games.

Through the Student Enterprise Programme students learn to develop business ideas, conduct market research, source materials and produce their products, design their packaging and marketing literature, sell their product to the public and manage their company finances. They also learn how to work as a team and develop their confidence in sales. These are valuable business and enterprise skills and will be useful to them whether they choose to work for someone else or set up their own business.

Peggy McGlynn of the Local Enterprise Office manages the Student Enterprise Programme in Louth. “Student Enterprise in Louth is going from strength to strength. Numbers participating in the programme this year have increased by over 25%. We now have in excess of 1,000 students in 18 schools in Louth taking part. The competition was tough at the National Finals,” Peggy concluded “and we were thrilled to have Louth bring home two big prizes. We really are so proud of our young entrepreneurs.”