Name of the original practice to be transferred
Entrepreneurial Skills Pass
Specific context where the practice has already been implemented/ applied
The Entrepreneurial Skills Pass is an international initiative aiming to certify the knowledge, skills and competences students gain through the JA Company Programme. ESP holders will become a pool of uniquely qualified and highly enterprising candidates.
Conditions of the original practice
The Entrepreneurial Skills Pass (ESP) is an international qualification that certifies students (15-19 years old), who have had a real entrepreneurship experience, have gained the necessary knowledge, skills and competences to start a business or to be successfully employed.
ESP includes a full-year in-school mini-company experience; a self-assessment of entrepreneurial competences; an examination of business, economic and financial knowledge and the possibility to access further opportunities offered by small and large businesses, top higher institutions and international organisations across Europe.
ESP is a certification that students can add to their CV and use to pursue further education, to enter the world of work or to start their own business. For schools and teachers, the ESP is a full package to support entrepreneurial learning outcomes and to provide students with the skills and competencies employers are looking for.
Structures of the original practice
The Entrepreneurial Skills Pass (ESP) consists of the following key elements: a real entrepreneurial experience that takes place in school during the year and includes mentoring from business people and through competitions; a self-assessment where students involved in the entrepreneurial experience reflect on their competences as they progress through the year; an online examination of business skills and economic knowledge and the possibility to access further opportunities offered by small and large businesses, top higher institutions and international organisation across Europe. Through the ESP, students take part in a practical entrepreneurial experience, the JA Company Programme, learning how to bring a business idea from concept to reality. Working in groups and under the guidance of teachers and business volunteers, they form their own enterprise and discover, first hand, how a company functions. As part of this programme, they develop the ability to generate ideas and turn them into action. They learn how to work in a team, take initiative and accept responsibility. They experience what it means to manage a real enterprise. They understand how economics and finance contribute to the project’s success. They apply math, science, language, writing, technological or specialized skills in a practical way. The programme is supported by volunteer advisers from the business world who are available to guide and mentor the students. Throughout the learning path, students can use a self-assessment tool to assess their entrepreneurial competences and prepare for the final exam.
Suggestions on how these will transfer to the new context
The Entrepreneurial Skills Pass is a certification that students can use to access further opportunities. It is a pass for young people who want to pursue further education, to enter the world of work or to start their own business.
Only the students fully participating in the three elements of the ESP (Company Programme, self-assessment, final exam) and correctly answering 70% of the questions of the exam get the final certificate, which is issued at international level by:
Companies and institutions choosing to endorse the ESP can access a pool of qualified students and offer them good quality, tailored and personalized solutions and, by doing so, to facilitate their transition from education to employment.
If available, give us a link where we can find additional information on this practice in English