Praise for young entrepreneurs at Lurgan school

Young Enterprise, Ulster Bank and BBC Apprentice star, ‘Jedi’ Jim Eastwood, congratulated students from Lurgan Junior High School, after hey were named winners of the charity’s QuickPitch Challenge.
Lurgan College Young EnterpriseLurgan College Young Enterprise
Lurgan College Young Enterprise

Seven students from the school set up a business, named Stop Shop, and traded in a range of gifts and homeware at various trades events. Their business saw off competition from eight other companies to win the QuickPitch challenge, and the students were presented with an iPad for their class.

With support from Ulster Bank, the Young Enterprise QuickStart programme will have allowed 1,300 young people, aged 12-16, to experience the real world of entrepreneurship alongside a volunteer business adviser.

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Colin Jess, Senior Manager at Ulster Bank, said: “As a bank, we’ve been really pleased to support Young Enterprise and the QuickStart programme for a fifth year. It’s an excellent opportunity for us to help young people to understand how business works, and encourage entrepreneurship. The energy and enthusiasm of all the participants is infectious.”

At an event staged at Ulster Bank’s Belfast headquarters, the Lurgan Junior High School students heard from Apprentice finalist, Jim Eastwood, who commented:

“These students are an excellent example of the outstanding entrepreneurial flair that exists in so many of our young people in Northern Ireland, and should be congratulated for their commitment, hard work and innovation in starting their respective businesses.

“Young people in Northern Ireland are so lucky to have the support of a charity like Young Enterprise that, year in year out, brings so many fantastic opportunities their way - inspiring them to become enthusiastic about entrepreneurship, and equipping them with the knowledge and skills to go out and succeed in the world of business.”

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Young Enterprise Northern Ireland is part funded by the Department of Education, with support from the business sector. Their programmes aim to empower the next generation with the confidence, ability and ambition to succeed in a rapidly changing global community. With the support of more than 3,500 businesses and over 5,000 colleges, universities and local communities, Young Enterprise NI is the UK’s leading enterprise education charity.

For more information, and to see how you can get involved, visit www.yeni.co.uk

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