Over 200 North Cork Students Attend Business Innovation Event in Charleville

a group of children in school uniform sitting for a photo

Over 200 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 Friday the 13th of September. The event is part of the Student Enterprise Programme, run by Cork County Council’s Local Enterprise Office in North Cork, which encourages students to set up and run a business over the course of the academic year to help them learn all about entrepreneurship.

Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Joe Carroll congratulated the students and teachers taking part, saying 

 

The programme in North Cork is one of the strongest in the country and we are very fortunate to have such dedicated teachers who promote a culture of entrepreneurship amongst their students. To all the students, remember that every great business started with an idea and the courage to pursue it. Embrace the challenges, learn from each other and never underestimate the power of your potential.

 

 

Cork County Council’s Director of Service Economic Development, Sharon Corcoran added, “We are really delighted with the huge turnout of over 200 students from all over North Cork brainstorming and networking with each other. There was a lot of positivity in the room, and we hope they will take on board the processes they have learned and apply them again and again over the coming months. This event could be the start of a very successful entrepreneurial career for some of these students.”

The event was also officially opened by Garry Lowe, of Whizzkids Training, who is the coordinator of the programme in North 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 local economy.

The Entrepreneurs Academy facilitated the event, showcasing exciting new business ideas developed around introducing innovation and developing routes to market. The young entrepreneurs were broken into groups to identify how to implement the advice provided.

The programme will culminate in the final exhibition, which will be held on the 25th of February 2025 when students will showcase their products and services to the judges.