Students LEAP-ing into the Waterford business world
Students from Scoil Mhuire, Butlerstown, Faithlegg NS, Réalt Na Mara NS, Waterpark NS, & St. Declan’s NS with their teachers, local business volunteers & the teams from Waterford Local Enterprise Office & Junior Achievement Ireland (JAI) at the LEAP Project final showcase in SETU on Wednesday, June 19 2024.
More than 130 primary students from fourth and fifth class of five schools across Waterford city and county participated in the LEAP Project in June 2024.
In its eighth year, LEAP has provided over 1,500 students with a platform to interact with role models from the world of work and pitch their ideas at the final showcase at South East Technological University (SETU).
LEAP encourages "early-stage entrepreneurship" among primary school students, helping them learn how to become entrepreneurs by designing business plans that focus on innovation and enterprise.
This entrepreneurial initiative is supported by Waterford Local Enterprise Office in partnership with Junior Achievement Ireland (JAI).
The five participating schools are Scoil Mhuire, Butlerstown NS, Faithlegg NS, Réalt Na Mara NS, Waterpark NS, and St. Declan’s NS.
Business professionals from local companies, along with Junior Achievement Ireland, visited each class regularly and worked with the students to discover what makes an entrepreneur, brainstorm ideas for their companies, understand the importance of logos and how to design them, learn about the significance of business names, the 4 P’s of marketing, prototyping, and negotiation skills.
Local business volunteers Danielle Kennedy (Lloyds Hair), Emer Cowman (Fidelity Investments), Joanne Galvin (MCX Training and Development), Greta Nagle (Sanofi), Catherine Ryan (West Pharma), and Angela Carew (Waterford City & County Council) supported the delivery of the classroom programme, My First Business, and shared their business experiences, hints and tips with the students.
During the LEAP showcase event, each school presented their final business ideas to local business people who acted as judges, referred to as FROGS (For Recognition of Greatness in Students). The FROGs had the opportunity to invest in the 24 new companies having viewed their business plans, prototypes and pitches, which sometimes included jingles and dress up.
Included in this were: Jamie Whitty from Waterford LEO, Ronan Walsh from RKCW, Jimmy Kearns from Carrowbaun Business Consultants, Ronan Cleary from Eagle Media, Shóna McGailey from Green Acre Marketing, John O’Gorman from Fieldmaster, Danielle Kennedy from Lloyds Hair and Rapunzel Foundation, Ciaran Cullen from Enterprise Ireland, Alex Hill from Propelor BIC, and Angela Carew from Waterford City & County Council.
At the end of the showcase, each student received a Certificate of Achievement to recognize their participation, and each school was awarded a special plaque for their outstanding contribution to the LEAP Project in one of the following categories: Best Business Plan, Best Idea to Help the Community, Best Innovative Idea, Best Negotiation Skills, Best Marketing Campaign, and Best Sustainable Business Idea.
“We are delighted to partner with Waterford LEO and local businesses on the LEAP Project. It is a fantastic journey for students to learn the basics of entrepreneurship and develop their own business ideas with the support of entrepreneurs from the local community," said Denise Power, Area Manager of South East for JAI.
"These mentors have shared their own real-life experiences with the students and inspired and motivated them to become future entrepreneurs in the making," she concluded.
