Entrepreneurship Learning Competitions - Autumn Fain Latvia

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Gain Creators / Outcomes

A “business” competition or a Trade Fair is an opportunity for the students to participate in a real entrepreneurship experience through a mini-project (primary education), or a mini-company (secondary education), or a start-up company (tertiary education) activity.
A competition is a stage to verify certain elements achieved in a mini –company experience.
Business people and other external from the school environment will judge the mini companies and evaluate achievements difficult to evaluate in school as presentations, teamwork and value creation.

Gains / Needs

Students need:

more “learning by doing” arenas and they need to connect and interact with external people in a real entrepreneurial experience.
areas to verify certain learning aspect as presentation skills, meeting the “real world”, interviews and to be able to pitch ideas to many people.
to be able to demonstrate their learning gains in the competitions, their peers can observe the achievements and celebrate with them.

Target Group

Students.
Businesses, organisations and education stakeholders benefit from the results.

Implementation Method

A competition is normally organised by a local JA organisation for students who participated in the Company Programme. The competition is an initiative built around a real entrepreneurship experience, and it can be local competitions close to the school, national competitions or international JA Europe Company of the Year Competitions. Mini Companies can qualify to participate at the different level, based on several criteria and different type of awards.

Entrepreneurship Learning Competitions - Real Entrepreneurial Experience

The purpose of the a Entrepreneurship Learning Competitions is to demonstrate the learning outcomes and impact of entrepreneurship programmes (like the Company Programme [DD1] or StartUp Programme [DD2] ) on students, and award those who have excelled in doing so.

Through a year in a mini company, students develop important entrepreneurial knowledge, skills and inspiration. A competition is a venue to allow the mini company to present their achievements and to have external judges evaluate. However, a competition is a celebration and an awareness event for spreading entrepreneurship education and aims to get more schools involved and to encourage students to keep walking the entrepreneurial path.

A competition is also a mechanism that constantly improves the quality of programming at the school level and drives growth of such initiatives both inside school and at the national level.

Activities

The competitions last from a full day (local) and to several days (European) Each student company have their own area where they build a stand.
Jury members interview them both by the stand, but also in a closed room.
The students have to provide a report and they must present their idea in front of an audience.
Normally there are several activities for teachers, and during a “high fashion” award ceremony, several different awards are given.

Resources

Funds to promote and organise the competitions.
Support team to plan and organise the competitions.
Manpower to update and publish related materials.
Engagement of businesses and institutions in the competitions as judges

Pain Relievers / Solutions

Organisations like JA can build important commotions between the education space and the business world and make sure the members of the mini companies are evaluated not only on school issues, but also on skills, knowledge and ambitions appreciated in the world of work.
Students can demonstrate their learning gains to various target groups including entrepreneurship education stakeholders, and receive feedback on their performance by business representatives and various entrepreneurship education stakeholders.

Pains / Challenges

Difficult to create arenas for celebrating and applauding the extra effort done in school by students in entrepreneurship education initiatives.
Research show that the external support to students in mini companies is important, but schools themselves are limited in creating such arenas.
Limited possibilities for students to visualize outcomes of the entrepreneurship education.
Limited possibilities to provide students with feedback by relevant stakeholders on their performance in the business part of entrepreneurship education.

Additional information:

Particular example: The Autumn Fair in Latvia

Every school year Zakumuiza primary school, like many other schools in Latvia, organizes an autumn fair, where students sell their home – made goods. The learning experience starts a week prior to the fair itself. Students (age 7 – 15) create advertisements – posters – of their goods, and place them on a separate wall in the school. The fair is advertised in local and social media, so that more costumers would come, and more money exchanges hands. The fair takes place in the local hall, with enough space for all traders to fit in. Students make decisions on pricing, converse with costumers and do basic mathematics. Further improvements in the learning experience could be made, though. First, parents could be more involved through cost calculation sheets they would have to fill with their children, while producing their products. Second, a lesson or two could be dedicated to calculate profits or losses made, and reflecting on decisions taken.

Activities

Develop and communicate cost calculation sheets to parents and students.
To develop and implement lesson plans on advertising;
To organise an autumn fair;
To plan and implement reflection lessons.

Resources

Teacher time – 6 hours x the number of classes.
Management time – 20 hours.
Appropriate premises and materials.

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