Gort Community School in Co Galway has been chosen as the first overall winner of the Entrepreneurial School Awards, from among 94 schools in the running.

The awards were organised by Junior Achievement Ireland and the inaugural event was hosted by Microsoft, with 94 schools around the country receiving accreditation from TESA for their commitment to entrepreneurial education.

Gort Community School will receive a prize worth €5,000 to further support its work in enterprise education. Nominees from the school will also travel to Helsinki to represent Ireland at the Entrepreneurial Schools European conference this year. 

The other category award winners were primary schools Darley National School, Cavan; Our Lady of Consolation School, Dublin 5; and St Ursula’s, Waterford.  Mercy College Sligo was awarded the top prize for its size among second level schools.

Junior Achievement programmes facilitated by business volunteers were provided in schools to encourage young people to develop the skills they need to succeed in a changing world. JAI says that its programmes promote work readiness, financial literacy, entrepreneurship and the value of studying STEM.

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Chief executive Helen Raftery said: “TESA gives schools the opportunity to benchmark themselves against standards of excellence. For our part, it formally recognises the work being done by primary and second level schools across the country in nurturing entrepreneurial skills in students, helping them develop the essential skills, knowledge and attitudes those young people will need to achieve the goals they set for themselves."

A range of masterclasses was arranged for TESA-certified schools this year, including a Digital Transformation workshop, a Design Thinking Sprint and a workshop on Ed Tech for 21st Century Educators. 

Photo: Aisling Collins from Gort Community School (centre) with Helen Raftery (left) and Microsoft’s Joanne Morrissey. (Pic: Shane O'Neill, SON Photographic)