Kildare TY Students Invited to Join Ireland’s Leading Enterprise Challenge
27thAugust 2025: Kildare County Council’s Local Enterprise Office is thrilled to announce the opening of registration for the Kildare Student Enterprise Programme for the academic year 2025/26. This year’s programme promises exciting new additions to the competition.
For over 20 years, the Student Enterprise Programme has been a staple on the secondary school calendar in Kildare, encouraging second level schools across the county to participate. Nationally, over 28,000 students will set up and run a mini enterprise during the academic year. The Programme complements the business studies curriculum at both junior and senior levels, offering students a rewarding experience and the freedom to fully develop their business concepts.
Transition Year Students will learn how to create and run their own business, acquiring key skills such as ideation, marketing, finance and sales. The Programme is run through the network of Local Enterprise Offices, supported by Enterprise Ireland and the local authorities, with local coordinators in every area to support teachers and students throughout the year. This initiative helps foster entrepreneurship in students and equips them with essential skills for their future careers.
Jacqui McNabb, Head of Enterprise, Tourism and Economic Development, Kildare County Council said: “This year, we plan to bring in industry experts from Kildare to work with our aspiring entrepreneurs, and to inspire them to really consider entrepreneurship as a future career. Entrepreneurship is important for students since it builds real world skills of leadership and collaboration, which are helpful and important in a variety of fields. Today's students are tomorrow's leaders, or in this case, tomorrow's entrepreneurs.”
Last year Students from Salesian College, Celbridge made it to the National Finals with their product, Medieval Mayhem. The team, consisting of Emmett Villing, Kyerin Hunter, Charlie Kavanagh and Henley Chacko, supported by their teacher Michael Greene, impressed the judges with their self-illustrated and strategy-based card game.
The Student Enterprise Programme also features a new range of online resources for 2024/2025 at www.StudentEnterprise.ie including regular blogs and houses full range of resources for students and teachers. The Programme is open to Transition Year Students, who can enter either individually or as part of a team. It’s easier than ever to register your school for the Programme. Just log onto https://www.studententerprise.ie/register/ and complete the forms online.
Your Local Enterprise Office is committed to nurturing and developing the next generation of entrepreneurial talent in our county.
