There is nothing like competition to focus the mind! Over 175 students running 34 student companies are feeling the heat as they enter the final rounds of the annual contest to find the JA-YE Europe Company of the Year. The 34 companies, winners of their national competitions, will be invited to the JA-YE Europe Company of the Year Competition, hosted by JA Italy in Cagliari on July 20-23.

 

The enterprising secondary school students have all been running a JA-YE business through the Company Programme and they have each received the support of their teachers as well as guidance from volunteers from the business world. Each student company offers real products and/or services and they have all successfully dealt with the challenges of setting up and running a business. 

 

The teams represent a wide range of industry sectors ranging from computer science to agriculture, from production to energy services. Each team's challenge will be to present their enterprises to a panel of judges and they will have several opportunities to make a good impression. The jury will examine each company's approach to communication, teamwork, problem-solving, objective-setting, planning and review, administration and financial systems, personnel management, product development, customer focus, marketing and sales, as well as financial results. How the students have developed their business skills will also be assessed and taken into account to determine who will receive the title of JA-YE Europe Company of the Year 2010.

 

In the last 5 years over 1 million students in Europe have participated in the Company Programme and gained firsthand experience of setting up and running their own real business. An estimated 15% of those students will go on to set up and run an enterprise after their education which will positively impact Europe with 150,000 new businesses providing vital employment opportunities and a real boost to the economy.

 

www.ja-ye.org