LOCAL Enterprise Office South Cork has announced that teenage entrepreneurs from Carrigaline Community School (Carrigaline) and Coláiste Muire Réalt na Mara (Crosshaven) will represent LEO South Cork at this year’s Student Enterprise Programme National Final on Thursday May 7th.

The students all took part in the county final on Thursday March 26th which was held at MTU.

An estimated 185 students from 15 secondary schools took part in the annual programme locally.

The enterprise education initiative, funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland and delivered by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities throughout the country, saw over 30,000 students from just under 500 secondary schools across the country take part in 2025/2026.

The programme, which is the largest student start-up programme in the country, supports students to create, design and market their own business, all with the hope of reaching the national final.

In the intermediate category, Maria Pietruczuk with her business Petal and Pearl from Coláiste Muire Réalt na Mara, Crosshaven, will be representing the county at the finals.

In the senior category of the competition, South Cork will be represented on May 7th by Jake Molloy, Alex O’Driscoll, Natasha Thottakana and Amelia Gumienny with their business Hall of Grades Trading Cards from Carrigaline Community School.

The local students will be competing against hundreds of other student entrepreneurs from all over Ireland at the Student Enterprise Programme National Finals which will take place in the Mullingar Park Hotel in May.

For further information visit www.studententerprise.ie