Moy Valley Resources IRD runs the Mayo Student Enterprise Awards (SEAs) throughout the county on behalf of the Local Enterprise Office – Mayo. 

About the Awards

The Student Enterprise Awards is the biggest enterprise competition for secondary school students in Ireland, and is a practical programme that offers students the opportunity to take a business idea from stage one, all the way through to fruition. This includes market research, creating a business plan, production of the product/service, marketing, sales, financial record keeping, and management. This information is then compiled together to finally create an overall business report to represent their journey in the business world.

The SEAs help students to grasp the skills associated with running a real enterprise,  including working as part of a team, managing production and finances, organising a sales and marketing campaign and liaising directly with customers, judges and the media.

“Over the 10+ years the Local Enterprise Offices have run this competition we have seen some remarkable success stories with high levels of innovation, ingenuity and clever sales pitches. What is really striking is how confident young people are in presenting their final proposals with many teachers remarking that students often develop self-confidence as they work their way through the different stages of their business. This is particularly true when students are taken out of their normal school environment to deal with external stakeholders who can help them progress their business idea.”  – Mayo Local Enterprise Office 

Read more about the Student Enterprise Awards

The Moy Valley Schools Enterprise Team assists students throughout Mayo to bring their business ideas to fruition, in the hope of competing in the county finals, with a view to proceeding to the National Student Enterprise Finals. The team makes regular school visits to support the students in their idea generation, business plans and help solve any problems that arise during the process, and are always available to answer queries or provide guidance to students and teachers throughout the programme.

If your school is interested in getting involved in the SEAs, contact Jacqueline on 096 70905 or email enterprise@moyvalley.ie.

Business Boot Camp Summer 2016

Are you a second level student with an interest in business? If the answer is yes, Business Boot Camp for second level students is coming to a venue near you for the third year running this summer.

The Boot Camp is run in conjunction with the Local Enterprise Office Mayo, Moy Valley Resources IRD, and JCI Mayo, with business experts, and is designed to inform and educate, in a light hearted, fun and realistic way, the ups and downs of running a business.

If you enjoy working as part of a team and have a keen interest in business, this hands-on approach will provide you with a clearer understanding of the process of setting up a business. The Business Boot Camp will give you an insight into developing a new product or service from start to finish while emphasising the importance of good management. It will also deal with skills and activities necessary for good management practice.

The Business Boot Camp is an initiative of the Mayo Local Enterprise Office to develop a wide range of personal and business attributes and skills which will hopefully be used to establish small businesses in Mayo in the future.

Dates and the locations for the Business Boot Camps will be confirmed in due course. 

Students who wish to secure a place can call into Moy Valley Resources, IRD Greenhill’s Enterprise Centre, Ballina, phone us on 096 70905 or email enterprise@moyvalley.ie.

Places are limited; a deposit of €20 is required to secure a place which will be fully refunded upon completion of the Boot Camp.