STUDENTS FROM colleges around Ireland will compete in the finals of the Student Enterprise Competition next month.

The competition, now in its third year, pits teams of up to four students from third level colleges around Ireland against one another. The competition uses a case study format and is open to any student attending one of the 15 institutes of technology across the State or the National College of Ireland.

A record 1,300 students across 330 teams entered the competition this year.

Initially, teams made a 1,500 word submission on a case study that was released on the competition website.

The top four teams from each college went through to local finals where they had three hours to address a new case study.

Sixteen teams have now been selected to contest a semi-final round in IT Sligo on Sunday, February 8th, where they will again have three hours to come up with a proposed solution to a case study and then present it to the judging panel.

The top four teams will progress to a final round with a new case study and a separate judging panel at the same venue the following day.

The winning team and their team coach will receive a trophy presented by Denis O’Brien, chairman of the competition and of its main sponsor Newstalk 106-108fm.

The overall prize for the winning teams is a study trip to the Caribbean where they visit the operations of Mr O’Brien’s Digicel mobile phone group in the region.

The competition is designed to foster a spirit of enterprise among third level students and improve their understanding of business management.

The teams contesting the semi-final round come from: Athlone Institute of Technology; Cork Institute of Technology; Dublin Institute of Technology; Dundalk Institute of Technology; Galway/Mayo Institute of Technology; the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown; the Institute of Technology Carlow; the Institute of Technology Sligo; the Institute of Technology Tallaght; the Institute of Technology Tralee; Letterkenny Institute of Technology; Limerick Institute of Technology; Tipperary Institute of Technology; and Waterford Institute of Technology.