JADE, the European Confederation of Junior Enterprises, organises the International Congress on “Entrepreneurial Skills for Youth”. The event will take place between the 6th and 9th of March, in Brussels, Belgium, aiming at offering multiple perspectives on the topic, from part of businesses, policy makers, academia and young talented students.
With rising youth unemployment in Europe estimated at 23% in 2013 according to the EU Labour Force Survey, Europe is in need more than ever for solutions to the issues that our generation is facing. In this context, young people who benefit from entrepreneurial learning and learning by doing experiences develop business knowledge and essential skills and attitudes including tenacity, teamwork, risk management and a sense of responsibility.
The Opening Ceremony of the event will take place in the European Parliament, where 150 students of Solvay Brussels School will also participate. The start will be given by a series of keynote speeches from Adriana Anchidin, President of JADE, a representative of Solvay Brussels School, the partner University of the congress, Monica Carco, Chief Investment and Technology of UNIDO, Dilek Ayhan, Deputy Minister at Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, and Xavier Prats Monné, Deputy DG Education and Culture.
A panel discussion will follow the keynote speeches, where the guests will consider whether the educational system, the corporate culture or the existent policies favour the development of entrepreneurship skills. Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, DG Enterprise and Industry, BUSINESSEUROPE and EUROCHAMBRES will take part in the debate.
One of the highlights of the day will be the competition for the Excellence Awards, aiming at showcasing the best practices of European Junior Enterprises, in fields such as entrepreneurship, innovation, internationalism, and also corporate social responsibility.
For the rest of the event, multiple workshops will be conducted, under the labels of soft skills, technical skills and entrepreneurship by various guests such as Heinz Ludwig Klein, former CEO of A.T. Kearney, Radu Seuche, Director of Learning and Leadership Development of Wide Circle or Inês Santos Silva, Chief at Startup Pirates. Also, European and Brazilian Junior Enterprises will be selected to deliver workshops based on their best practices. Intel, the newest partner of the event, will run a 6h workshop where the participants will have the opportunity to grow and pitch their business ideas.
“We hope for this congress to be a space of networking and knowledge exchange between all our guests, be it Junior Entrepreneurs, business students, policy makers, businesses or academia. In our fast-changing market, entrepreneurship skills are essential for the progress of businesses, but also individuals. The learning by doing experience is a key aspect of acquiring these skills” declared Adriana Anchidin, President of JADE.
According to the research made by DG Enterprise and Industry in 2012, “Effects and impact of entrepreneurship programmes in higher education”, Alumni of the Junior Enterprise network rate themselves to be more creative, have better analytical skills, are more capable of motivating others to gain support and assistance in realising opportunities; they have better networking skills and a great ability to adapt to situations and handle different ones with ease.
More details can be found at www.jadenet.org
JADE is an umbrella organisation of more than 280 student-run businesses across 200 universities in 13 European countries. Following the motto “learning-by-doing”, our students bridge the gap between academia and real business world. By running non-profit SMEs and being social entrepreneurs, the students turn over 16 million euro per year and involve more than 20,000 peers, thus leaving a significant impact on the local and national business world. The concept is present on various continents, such as Europe, South America, North America and Africa.
By: N. Peter Kramer
