Youth trade fair hears calls for entrepreneurship lessons in schools
Having watched the presentation of awards for outstanding innovation and entrepreneurship to school children at the JA-YE European Trade Fair, participants underlined the importance of teaching such skills as part of school curricula. The event brought together around 500 young entrepreneurs from 22 European countries. They represented 70 student companies. But more young entrepreneurs are likely to be needed if Europe is to meet the growth and jobs targets agreed by Europe's leaders. Professor Maria João Rodrigues, Senior Advisor to the European Commission on the Lisbon Strategy, praised the work of JA-YE, a provider of enterprise education programmes in Europe, but called for more to be done at national level: 'Such bottom-up organisations are an asset to the European agenda because they have tremendous grassroots support and they are major multipliers. Our problem is that entrepreneurship is on the agenda at the European level, but it is not being taken on board in all the National Action Plans.' 'Young people are our greatest asset. No country can afford the waste of talent and energy which youth unemployment represents,' added Doris Pack, a Member of the European Parliament from Germany. 'That is the reason why sometimes the best solution is not to become job seekers. You need to become job creators,' she told the young entrepreneurs. The top prize for outstanding achievement was awarded to the company 'Enjoy J.A.' from Italy. Enjoy J.A. was named best company, with the best business plan, market analysis and innovative product. The students behind the company designed vending machines for snacks and franchised them to schools and other buildings. Managing Director Anna Ferrari, age 17, explained: 'Enjoy J.A. promotes an innovative and enterprising formula: through the creation of a European network it will be possible to provide everyday products through these vending machines.' Other prizes were awarded to a Norwegian company selling drinking water, a Danish company that designs wallets and belts made from black turkey skin and ostrich legs, and a Croatian company that created the first ever guide to the Croatian island of Vis. 'Enterprise and entrepreneurship need to be brought out of the closet and put back on our list of educational priorities,' said Caroline Jenner, CEO of JA-YE Europe. 'The public and private sectors must cooperate with one another to deliver the best quality entrepreneurship education possible. More must be done to open the doors of education ministries to the business world.'