On March 19th, student entrepreneurs from counties Cork, Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford participated in the regional final of the Junior Achievement Company of the Year Competition 2015 hosted at Cork County Hall. The 10 teams qualified for the regional final from a group of over 420 students who completed the Junior Achievement Company programme in schools across the region. The team, which comes out on top at the national final will represent Ireland at the European final in Berlin in July.

Regional finalists from Bishopstown Community School, Cork; St. Mary’s Secondary School, New Ross, Co. Wexford; De La Salle College, Waterford and CBS High School, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary rose to the challenge of having their business acumen tested by the panel of judges and represented their schools and families with great distinction. The students pitched their company to the panel of three eminent judges as they vied to secure a place in the national final to be held in Dublin in May.

The judging panel comprising Paschal McCarthy, GE Healthcare; Richard Cotter, RCCIreland and Frank Buckley, RCI, was really impressed with the entrepreneurial flair and particularly the level of preparation invested by the students, their teachers and mentors. 

In opening the event, Deputy Mayor of the County of Cork, Marcia Dalton commented: “Cork hosted the first Junior Achievement Company of the Competition European Final back in 1990 and Cork County Council is delighted to continue this tradition of supporting student enterprise in the region by hosting the 2015 Junior Achievement Company Competition Regional Finals”.

PepsiCo “Challenge Science” hosted by the National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI) involved 160 6th class students in two days of interactive science workshops and experiments.

Students from Ringaskiddy Lower Harbout N.S., Scoil Cjill Ruadhain, Scoil Inse Ratha, St John’s Boys N.S, and St John’s Girls N.S. worked hard to unlock the secrets of forensic science and chemical energy, and to explore a century of great scientific discoveries.

PepsiCo volunteers challenged the students to create lava lamps powered by chemical energy and to undertake forensic analysis to determine the identity of the villain at the scene of a crime. 16 volunteers from PepsiCo: Richard Flynn, Noleen Fleming, Denise Coffey, Alison Walsh, Elizabeth Hobbs, Jean White, Sharon Rothwell, Xian Quinlou, Nuala O’Leary, Myles O’Donnell, Brenda Morrissey, Kevin McCarthy, Amandine Maulicci, Patrick Maher and Cliona Kelliher were really impressed by the students who tackled the series of fast-paced, science-themed activities with great enthusiasm.