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Glenlola Collegiate students win the 2024 NI Schools’ Business Challenge
Published: 14/02/2024, 10:00amPictured with the 2024 NI Schools’ Business Challenge winners Glenlola Collegiate are Nigel Harra, Senior Partner at BDO NI, Dr Danielle McConville, Head of Department of Accounting at Queen’s Business School, Jayne FitzGerald, Programme Manager at CCEA and Billy Moore, Group Finance Director at Henderson Group.
86 pupils from schools across Northern Ireland took part in the annual NI Schools’ Business Challenge which saw Glenlola Collegiate crowned winners for 2024.
A partnership between Queen’s Business School, BDO Northern Ireland, Henderson Group and supported by CCEA, the competition tests the business acumen of A-Level Business Studies pupils who are tasked to work in teams to develop a business strategy in real time.
The challenge, which also supports CCEA’s business related A-level qualifications, took place at the new Queen’s Business School with the winning team being selected for their in-depth understanding of the current economic landscape and their innovative solutions.
Nigel Harra, Senior Partner at BDO Northern Ireland said,
NI Schools' Business Challenge, now in its 7th year, continues to provide a unique opportunity for pupils to apply knowledge gained through their studies to practical business scenarios while receiving help and advice from the best in business. The challenge provided an insight into the real-life, strategic decision-making processes applied by a familiar and very successful organisation.
I was inspired by the talent of all the pupils who took part and congratulate Glenlola Collegiate on their much-deserved victory in what was an incredibly competitive event.On the day, a business case study was provided to students by Henderson Group with pupils tasked with developing and pitching a business strategy to the judging panel.
Billy Moore, Finance Director at Henderson Group discusses the importance of this challenge,
This year’s NI Schools’ Business Challenge has been a great success and it has been a pleasure meeting some of the pupils, whom I am sure will do excellent things in the future. As a leading employer in Northern Ireland, innovative strategy is at our core and every pupil who took part in the challenge showed they have those core skills. I’d like to congratulate the winning school, Glenlola Collegiate, who really showed their business acumen to pip the others to the post.
The opportunity for students to pit themselves against other schools whilst learning from them and sharing ideas has been a vital element of the popularity of this competition.
Professor Ciaran Connolly from Queen’s Business School said,
The calibre of students competing in this challenge is a credit to their teachers and schools, and I would like to thank the teachers for encouraging and supporting their students to participate in this event. I hope that this has been a rewarding experience for the students and that many decide to come to Queen’s Business School, especially to study Accounting.
Dr Danielle McConville, Head of the Accounting Department at Queen’s Business School added,
The Accounting Department at Queen's Business School is committed to nurturing the business leaders of the future, and we thank BDO, Henderson Group and CCEA for continuing to support this annual challenge. I'd like to congratulate the winning team and all of the students who took part, demonstrating subject knowledge, analytical and presentation skills, ethical and sustainable values, and real enthusiasm for their subject.
A key element of the NI Schools’ Business Challenge is that it supports CCEA’s A-Level Business Studies and Education Manager for Business Studies at CCEA, Jill Armer added,
The skills and knowledge of all the students taking part never fails to impress me each year. Their teachers should also be applauded as it is more than evident that there is a huge amount of time and effort that goes into preparing each school’s presentation. Whilst in CCEA, every summer, we see an excellent standard of work presented in scripts; it is a real pleasure to see and hear the Business Studies specification content used in the context of a real business scenario and presented in such a cohesive way to a panel of business and educational professionals.
As winners, Glenlola Collegiate came away with VIP suite tickets for a Belfast Giants game and a £500 prize pot for their school. Receiving the winner's trophy, Mr Haylett, Glenlola Collegiate’s Business Studies teacher said,
This is a fantastic achievement for these girls who have given up a significant amount of time and worked tirelessly on this presentation. Engaging in the competition honed their research, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. The event provided a unique platform for them to showcase their talents and abilities to industry professionals. We take immense pride in their accomplishment and eagerly anticipate their future success.
Watch our video to get an overview of the day.
St Mary’s Grammar and Rathmore Grammar students win the 2023 NI Schools’ Business Challenge
100 pupils from schools across Northern Ireland took part in the annual NI Schools’ Business Challenge which saw St Mary's Grammar School and Rathmore Grammar School crowned joint winners.
The competition, which aligns with CCEA’s A level Business Studies qualification, was held in association with Queen’s Management School, BDO Northern Ireland, Henderson Group and supported by CCEA, aims to test the business acumen of A level Business Studies pupils who are tasked to work in teams to develop a business strategy in real time. A business case study was provided to students by Henderson Group, who were then tasked with developing their strategy and pitching it to the judging panel.
This year’s competition took place at Queen’s Management School, Riddel Hall, with the winning teams selected after the panel of judges were unable to separate the entries from St Mary’s and Rathmore.
Jill Armer, CCEA’s Business Studies Education Manager, said:
“It was a fantastic event to be a part of. Once again, the participants, their teachers, and schools should be very proud of the knowledge and skills displayed during the presentations. The high level of both preparation and thought that has gone into the case study and to providing the business with potential innovative and realistic solutions was very evident. In my view they are all winners.”
Laura Jackson, Partner at BDO Northern Ireland and Honorary Professor at Queen's Management School said,
“Practical challenges contribute to students’ learning and helps prepare them for their future. The earlier students can have access to this type of experience the more equipped they will be. This challenge gives pupils the opportunity to develop important skills that will stand them in good stead in the world of business and beyond.
“The talent that we are seeing coming through in these challenges is a testament to our young people and those who are guiding them in their education.”
Billy Moore, Financial Director at Henderson Group discussed the importance of this challenge,
“What businesses in Northern Ireland need right now is fresh thinking, robust strategies, and efficient operations as we battle against the challenges of various external factors. This year’s Schools’ Challenge winners brought each of those attributes in spades and had put in an impressive degree of research to build their consultation around risk management.
“This hands-on experience will be invaluable to the students who will be entering the workplace in a matter of years, while also giving them a depth of knowledge on real-life business scenarios that will stay with them far beyond their school years. All at Henderson Group send our congratulations to this year’s winners.”
The opportunity for students to pit themselves against other schools whilst learning from them and sharing ideas has contributed to the popularity of this competition.
Professor Ciaran Connolly from Queen’s Management School said:
“I would like to thank the teachers for encouraging and supporting their pupils to participate in this event. The quality of the presentations was extremely high and a testament to the talent and commitment of each of the teams. I hope that it has been a rewarding experience and that many decide to come to Queen’s, especially to study Accounting, after completing their A levels.”
The winning schools came away with VIP tickets for a Belfast Giants game and a £500 prize pot for their school.
Bangor pupils claim victory at the NI Schools Business Challenge
Pupils from Glenlola Collegiate emerged as winners of the third annual NI Schools Business Challenge. In association with the Henderson Group, BDO Northern Ireland and Queen’s Management School, 13 teams made up from schools across Northern Ireland took part in the competitive competition.
The initiative required pupils to develop and present a business strategy based on a case study provided by local business, the Henderson Group, specifically in relation to their award-winning Gander App and Henderson Technology arm of the business.
Each team’s entry was judged by a panel of senior business experts from BDO Northern Ireland, Henderson Group, and Queen’s Management School with the aim of the project to help develop the pupils’ practical skillset and demonstrate their knowledge.
This year’s event, supported by CCEA, took place at Queen’s Management School, Riddel Hall with the winning team from Glenlola being represented by Elsa Collins, Shana Martin, Kirsten Hanna, Allie Greer and Emer Malcolm. The winners were awarded the much-coveted trophy, VIP tickets for a Belfast Giants game and £500 for their school.
Northern Ireland Business Simulator Challenge
A-Level pupils from Bangor Grammar came out winners of Northern Ireland's first Business Simulator Challenge, aimed at testing essential competencies required for the workplace.
The initiative, organised by Queen's Management School, BDO Northern Ireland and Henderson Group saw nine A-Level student teams from schools across Northern Ireland compete in the challenge which forms part of the wider Business Studies Curriculum.
The real-time simulator challenge placed students in the position of business leaders and CEOs, offering a range of complex problems and tasking them to solve them, demonstrating a range of skills including commercial awareness, team work, financial management and leadership.