An estimated 22,000 secondary school students from 620 Irish schools are learning about the world of business by setting up their own enterprises through the Student Enterprise Programme with the Local Enterprise Offices, it was announced yesterday. The programme is the biggest enterprise education initiative of its kind in the country.

The Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen T.D. yesterday visited the school of an award-winning teenage entrepreneur in Wicklow, to officially launch the 2017/2018 Student Enterprise Programme.

Cillian Scott is a fifth-year student at Coláiste Chill Mhantáin and the school participates in the programme in County Wicklow every year. Back in May, he won the Intermediate Category at the National Student Enterprise Awards in Croke Park for ‘Scott Engine Tables’.  As part of yesterday’s visit, the Minister also met other enterprising students from the school who set up businesses such as bee-keeping, mattress recycling and social media networking.

Speaking ahead of his visit to the school, Minister Breen said, "Since the Student Enterprise Programme began in 2003, more than 150,000 students have benefitted and we want to keep nurturing Ireland’s future entrepreneurs and business leaders in the years to come. Entrepreneurship is the backbone of the Irish economy and initiatives such as the Student Enterprise Programme are key to fostering a more enterprising culture."

He added, "I would encourage principals and teachers to get in touch with their Local Enterprise Office, to find out how they can get involved in the next Student Enterprise Programme."

Source: www.businessworld.ie