Chartered Accountants House was full of buzz and chatter on Wednesday 3 May 2023 when almost 50 students and their teachers arrived to celebrate their success in the Boot Camp 2023 Be the Boss Challenge.
Senior cycle students from Our Lady's Secondary School, Castleblayney, Edmund Rice College, Carrigaline and Maynooth Post Primary school submitted entries – team or individual – and were invited to attend the prizegiving ceremony.
The students heard from Director of Education Ian Browne about the education offering from Chartered Accountants Ireland and how the Boot Camp programme these students completed is a good taster for work and training in accountancy. They then heard from Boot Camp creator, Brian Feighan FCA. Brian gave a quick overview of the background and rationale for Boot Camp and summarised the merits of each of the four finalist's entries. Following the prize announcement, we heard this year's Chartered Star Peter Gillen ACA, who gave the attendees an insight into what his career journey has been like, from his primary business degree to his current role as Sustainability Manager in Grant Thornton. Peter announced the winning entry and awarded them their prize. Finally, we heard from Institute President Pat O'Neill, congratulating the students on their success, and about how much the economy needs more Chartered Accountants to address the supply shortage. All of our speakers certainly agreed having read the entries that they would make excellent Chartered Accountants in the future!
We were delighted to receive some feedback from the proud teachers as the students made their way home. "Many thanks for a brilliant event - it was very well organised and the perfect length to hold their attention!" and "The students are still buzzing...the set up was fantastic"
We would like to thank the 40+ teams/individuals who entered the competition, and all who came along to make it such a positive day.
The finalists were:
- Individual entrant Orlaith McNeill from Maynooth Post Primary School, Co. Kildare
- Team "CDM" from Our Lady's Secondary School, Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan
- Team "Financial Four" from Edmund Rice College, Carrigaline, Co. Cork
- Team "It all Adds Up" from Our Lady's Secondary School, Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan
We were also delighted to be joined by team Three Seáns and a Liam, a commendation-winning team, also from Edmund Rice College.
It was a difficult decision for the judging panel, and the winning team were announced as It all Adds Up. Well done to the team!
If you would like to know more about Boot Camp, you can read about it here, or contact the programme coordinator, Veronica Byrne.
You can view photos from the event here.
LOADING...