Gaeilge
[lang_ie]Tá Dámhachtain Fhiontraíochta (NFTE) bainte amach ag mac léinn ón Idirbhliain, Niall Foody. Beidh Niall, ó Leitir Ceanainn agus dalta 16 bliana d’aois ó Choláiste Earagail ag déanamh a bhealach fhad le Nua-Eabhrac i mí Aibreáin. Tá táirge cruthaithe aige “Key You In” agus go simplí is táirge sábhailteachta do ghlais dorais atá ann – áit a néiríonn sé breoite nó lasta suas le cuidiú leis an duine an poll-eochrach a fháil go furasta. Seo an t-aon táirge den déanamh seo ar an mhargadh. Táirge simplí seo – tá a fhios againn uile nuair a thagann tú abhaile san oíche. Tá sé dorcha agus fliuch…tá na málaí siopadóireachta ar iompar leat. Tá fonn ort fáil isteach sa teach go gasta. Fadhb…dorchadas agus níl tú inann an poll eochrach a fháil. Tarlaíonn seo go rialta dúinn agus tharla seo do Niall ar ndóigh ach ghlac sé air féin rud éigin a dhéanamh faoi – an poll eochrach a lasadh suas.
Mhínigh Niall an coincheap a bhí aige dá mhúinteoir (an tUasal Mac Phaidín) sa rang Fiontar & Gnó sa scoil agus chuidigh seisean leis plean gnó a leagan amach. Tá roinn ghnó an Choláiste thar a bheith rathúil le cúpla bliain anuas ag forbairt smaointe gnó na mic léinn agus ag tabhairt aitheantas dóibh. Chuir Niall a phlean gnó “Key You In ” i láthair do NFTE Éireann (Líonra do Theagaisc Fiontraíochta) ag Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath ar an Déardaoin 31 Eanáir 2013.
Bunaíodh NFTE don chéad uair sna Stáit Aontaithe le fear gnó Steve Mariotti a léirigh go dtagann daoine óga chun cinn go mór nuair atá an deis acu a gnó féin a chuir ar bun. Tá NFTE mar eagraíocht idirnáisiúnta atá neamhbhrabúsach agus le fiche bliain de thaithí acu ag múineadh scileanna fiontraíochta do dhaoine ar fud na cruinne. I gcomhar le Foróige agus NFTE chuir Niall a tháirge “Key You In” sa chomórtas náisiúnta. Mar thoradh ar sin, cuireadh Niall sa chéad áit sa chomórtas agus beidh sé ag déanamh ionadaíocht don scoil ag an ócáid mhór i Nua-Eabhrac san Earrach anois. Bhí ceithre mholtóir ann leis an phost a roghnú – an buaiteoir a phiocadh mar an Fiontraí Óige ó na deich iomaitheoir a bhí sa chomórtas. Ina measc na moltóirí seo bhí an Stiúrthóir Bainistíochta Microsoft Éireann, iniúchóir mór le rá ó Grant Thornton agus daoine mór le rá ó ghnó na tíre seo. Tugadh an chéad áit – Buaiteoir Fiontraí Óige 2013 do Niall Foody.
Tá Niall faoi láthair ag ullmhú le haghaidh dul fhad le Nua-Eabhrac chun freastal ar an ócáid seo a bheas lán de lucht gnó Mheiriceá, Wall Street agus go leor ceantair eile ó fhud an domhain. Anuraidh bhí thar 1,000 duine i láthair ag Óstán na Four Seasons, Manhattan leis an aoichainteoir Samuel L Jackson. Chomh maith le dul go Nua-Eabhrac, tá Niall ag taisteal chomh maith go dtí an tSín an samhradh seo le mic léinn eile na hidirbhliana agus múinteoirí ó Choláiste Earagail. Tá an turas seo eagraithe in éineacht le hOllscoil na hÉireann, Baile Átha Cliath agus le hInstitiúid Teicneolaíochta Leitir Ceanainn. Gheobhaidh na mic léinn deis bheith ag plé le cultúr na Síne agus na deiseanna gnó atá ansin. Fuair táirge Niall fós an 2ú háit i gcomórtas Sóisearach Dragon’s Den. Tá Príomhoide Gníomhach Coláiste Earagail, Charlie Cannon agus a mhúinteoir gnó Danny McFadden agus pobal na scoile go léir an-bhródúil as an méid atá bainte amach ag Niall go dtí seo. Comhghairdeas leat.[/lang_ie]
[lang_en-uk]Errigal College Transition Year student, Niall Foody scoops international entrepreneurial award (NFTE) to go to New York City.
Niall Foody, from Letterkenny will be waving the flag for his county and country in New York City in April. A talented 16 yr old Transition Year student from Errigal College, Niall has created a novel product “Key You In”. The product is a safety illuminator for around door locks which glows in the dark to enable homeowners to locate the keyhole. This is the only available product like this on the market. Niall’s product is a simple idea. Everyone knows what it’s like to get home at night. It’s raining and dark… and you’re carrying shopping bags. You want to get into your house a.s.a.p.!!! Problem… it’s dark and you have real problems finding the keyhole. We all have this annoying experience regularly. This happened Niall so he decided to solve this problem. If he could clearly see the keyhole then he could put the key in the door easily and go into his house. Niall’s idea is to ‘light up’ the keyhole with a luminous sticker. Problem solved.
Niall explained his idea to Mr McFadden’s business enterprise class in Errigal College and they helped him to develop and turn it into a business plan. Errigal College’s business department has become extremely successful in the last few years in developing their student’s business ideas and gaining recognition. This kind of guidance is proving hugely beneficial to the business students of Errigal College Niall presented his business plan, ‘Key You In’ to NFTE (Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship) Ireland at Dublin City University on Thursday, 31 January 2013. NFTE was first established in the US by businessman Steve Mariotti who demonstrated that showing young people how to make money through setting up and running their own business could enable them to make a better future for themselves. NFTE is an international non-profit organization and with twenty years experience teaching entrepreneurial skills to you people across the globe. In conjunction with Foroige and NFTE, Niall entered his product “Key You In” into the national competition. As a result, Niall was placed first in the competition and will be representing his school at a gala ball in New York City this spring. Four judges were tasked with the job of selecting the overall Youth Entrepreneur winner from ten regional finalists. Judges on the day included the Managing Director of Microsoft Ireland, a leading auditor with Grant Thornton and other entrepreneurs from
successful business organisations. The judges were blown away by Niall’s idea and product and unanimously agreed that Niall Foody was the overall youth entrepreneur winner for 2013.
Niall is now preparing to go to New York City to attend an event which will be filled with successful businessmen from Wall Street and many other financial districts around the world. Last year’s event catered for over 1,000 people in the luxurious Four Seasons Hotel overlooking Central Park in Manhattan with Samuel L. Jackson as guest speaker.
As well as going to New York, Niall is also travelling to China this summer with Transition Year students and teachers from Errigal College. Mr. McFadden, the business teacher, had introduced Chinese into the Transition Year programme in order to keep the students in touch with the current worldwide economic trends. This trip is organised along with UCD and LYIT. The students of Errigal College will be introduced to the Chinese Culture and the business opportunities that are all originating in China.
Niall’s product also scooped the runner up prize in the Junior Dragon’s Den competition. Errigal College has been at the national finals of the AIB Build a Bank competition for the last six year and have come second place out of all the teams in Ireland. Errigal College’s mini-companies have won the ‘Get Up and Go’ mini-company competition. Errigal College’s Acting Principal, Mr Charlie Cannon told us “We are very proud of Niall’s wonderful achievement.” Business teacher Mr Danny McFadden is extremely proud of Niall’s success: “Niall is the latest and most successful entrepreneur to be graduating from our business department.”[/lang_en-uk]