At the end of 2016 the project Promotion of entrepreneurship in secondary education was introduced by the Education Minister and the Secretary of State for Economy. It involves promoting the emergence of 'entrepreneurial schools' in the Grand Duchy, meaning secondary schools that encourage their students to develop multidisciplinary skills enabling them to succeed in future entrepreneurial challenges.

Promoting the emergence of these entrepreneurial schools means developing a spirit of initiative and entrepreneurship: revealing young people's personal talents and ambitions; challenging their creativity and originality; making them aware of the ecological, political and economic issues of our time; helping them to take responsibility and passing on to them the positive mind-set that is necessary in looking to the future.

To promote entrepreneurship educational institutes need to:

  • develop fundamental multidisciplinary skills, including creativity, cooperation, spirit of initiative, mastery of information and communication technologies;
  • prepare students better for working life and stimulate a spirit of active citizenship;
  • combat dropping out of school by adopting an innovative educational approach;
  • make students more 'employable' and stimulate the creation of start-ups;
  • bridge the gap between school life and working life.

There will not be classes in multidisciplinary skills as such but they will be developed through 'challenges' the student will be required to take up by mobilising his/her knowledge and talent. External stakeholders will be involved. There are already about 40 challenges listed in the European reference framework Youth start, jointly founded by the Erasmus + programme. These challenges represent teaching units that may take place at school or in a business, are of varying duration and complexity, and put into practice the academic knowledge dispensed by teachers and/or trained external partners. They have been drawn up by a working group, whose members are entrepreneurs in various sectors and teachers, with a view to structuring learning. ‘Our aim is to draw up ten challenges of our own, adapted to the context of the Grand Duchy, for the start of the 2017 school year,’ said the Secretary of State for Economy. Respective working meetings, which are also attended by representatives of the professional chambers, started in November 2016.

Three secondary schools have signed a collaboration agreement. They will work as a network on drawing up and implementing the educational concept. The conceptualisation stage lasts until July 2017. The 'entrepreneurship' profile will be implemented in participating schools from the start of the 2017-18 school year. The Education Ministry (MENJE) is providing funding granted to those teachers involved in conceptualising the project. The Ministry of the Economy is providing the link with stakeholders in the world of work, including the professional chambers. Both ministries will be represented on the steering committees set up in each secondary school taking part in this project. The main aim of the project is to encourage and promote educational approaches that are close to the professional world and transferable to other schools.

More information:

http://www.youthstart.eu/en/