Mayor of the County of Cork Cllr Fank O’Flynn pictured on the Sheehan Exterior Cleaners stand of TY students from Patrician Academy Mallow, with Joan Kelleher, Local Enterprise Office Mallow and Tadgh Curtis of the judging panel, at the Cork North regional final of the Student Enterprise Programme at Sprinfort Hall Hotel Mallow.
Cork County Council’s Local Enterprise Office Cork North and West announced that students from Patrician Academy will represent North Cork at the Student Enterprise Programme National Final on May 9th.
The students competed in the North Cork Final on February 27th, with 700 students from 14 schools participating locally. Funded by the Irish Government through Enterprise Ireland, the program engages over 28,000 students from nearly 500 secondary schools annually, fostering entrepreneurial skills through business creation and marketing. In the Intermediate category, Bill Palmer, Alec Fitzpatrick, and James Kelly O’Connor of Fitzpatrick Firewood will compete, while Eoin and Mark Sheehan of Sheahan Exterior Clean will represent North Cork in the Senior category.
The finalists will vie against students nationwide at the Mullingar Park Hotel. Notable guests like Mayor Cllr Frank O’Flynn attended the North Cork Final. Sharon Corcoran of Cork County Council praised the students’ achievements, highlighting the program’s impact on entrepreneurial development. North Cork has seen previous success, including national awards won by local students. Since 2003, the program has engaged 380,000 students, offering online resources for ongoing support and education. Details are available on www.studententerprise.ie and through #studententerprise on social media.