450 North Cork Students Attend Innovation Day in Charleville

       Pictured at the Schools Enterprise Programme Innovation Day at the Charleville Park Hotel were Andrea Splendori (left) and Michael Keogh (right) of the Enterprise Academy with Joan Kelleher of the Local Enterprise Office Mallow and Gary Lowe, Programme Co-ordinator.

Over 450 second level students from 11 schools in North Cork were put through their paces at a special Innovation Day at the Charleville Park Hotel on Tuesday the 7th of November. The event is part of the Student Enterprise Programme, run by Cork County Council’s Local Enterprise Office North Cork which encourages students to set up and run a business over the course of the academic year helping them to learn all about entrepreneurship.

The event was officially opened by Cllr Ian Doyle, deputising for the Mayor of the County of Cork. He wished the students well on their journey and pointed out how important it was to develop business skills for their future careers and the future of the economy of the area,

 

We are really delighted with the huge turnout at today’s event. There was a lot of positivity in the room here today. We hope the students will take on board the skills they have gained and apply them in the future. Today’s event could be the start of a successful entrepreneurial career for many of the 450 students that participated.

One of Ireland’s leading innovation training companies, The Entrepreneurs Academy, facilitated the event. They showcased exciting new business ideas being developed around introducing innovation and developing routes to market. The young entrepreneurs were then broken into groups to identify how to implement the advice provided. The outcomes were many and varied and it will be very interesting to see how the students develop these ideas over the next 6 months.

Cork County Council’s Director of Service Economic Development, Sharon Corcoran, thanked the students and teachers saying, 

 

Sharon Corcoran

Director of Services - Economic Development, Enterprise & Tourism

Cork County Council Headquarters, County Hall, Carrigrohane Road, Cork, Ireland. Eircode: T12 R2NC.

We are looking forward to another successful year with the Schools Enterprise Programme. The programme in North Cork is one of the strongest in the country and we are very fortunate to have such dedicated teachers who work tirelessly every year to help their students learn about the importance of entrepreneurship. Our success at both senior and junior levels nationally is testament to the work being put in on a local level here in North Cork.  Today’s workshop with the Entrepreneurs Academy will be hugely beneficial to all participants.

The programme will culminate in the final exhibition at Springfort Hall Hotel on the 27th of February 2024, when students will host stands and showcase their products and services to the judges.