Academy students aiming for Young Enterprise title

A TEAM of enterprising students from Omagh Academy is making waves with their innovative business idea – a financial literacy book designed to help children understand money management from an early age.

The student-led company, Minted Minds, has reached the final of the Young Enterprise NI Company of the Year Awards 2025, set to take place at Belfast City Hall later this month. Their product is a colourful, interactive book aimed at children aged seven to 12, designed to teach the basics of budgeting, saving, and spending wisely – key skills as they move from primary to secondary school and begin handling money more independently.

The inspiration for the idea came from a Barclays advertisement which highlighted that our relationship with money begins as early as seven-years-old. Motivated by the insight, the Omagh Academy team developed a practical tool to bridge the gap in financial education for young learners.

Minted Minds is one of six school businesses to reach this month’s final after impressing judges at a recent pitch event at Invest NI’s Belfast headquarters.

Other finalists include teams from Bangor Academy, The Royal School Armagh, Larne High School, Dominican College, Portstewart, and Strathearn School in Belfast.

The Young Enterprise programme is Northern Ireland’s leading enterprise education initiative, empowering young people with real-world business experience. The overall winner of the competition will go on to represent Northern Ireland at the UK Company of the Year Final, with the potential to compete in the European Final in Athens later this year.

Carol Fitzsimons MBE, Chief Executive of Young Enterprise NI, praised this year’s entrants for their creativity and passion. “The quality and innovation we’ve seen this year has been phenomenal. Ideas like Minted Minds show the real potential of our future entrepreneurs.”

With their eyes on the prize and a mission to boost financial literacy from a young age, the Omagh Academy team is already proving that age is no barrier to making a big impact.