Private, public sectors build bridges to boost entrepreneurship

Brian Ager, ERT Secretary-General, explained his organisation's support saying "With 18 participating ERT Members, companies will provide not only financial resources but also 2,000 volunteers to go into the schools to coach the students and to be judges in competitions working with 15-18 year-old students in Europe."

The other two associations involved stressed the timeliness of the initiative. Caroline Jenner CEO of JA-YE Europe, said: "The effect of the recession on young people has remained dramatic, despite recent stabilisation. Young people are not very aware of what is happening in the world of business and industry—they enter the workforce without many of the skills they need to be employable".

She added that "We urgently need to scale up efforts like this and motivate young people or we risk perpetually high drop-out rates and losing a generation to unemployment."

Marc Durando, Executive Director of European Schoolnet, commented:"Partnerships between business and Ministries of Education are essential to give students a taste of the world of work during their education. This new initiative reinforces our existing activities with ERT and ERT member companies, where we encourage young people to learn more about scientific careers".

He also stated that business and entrepreneurship skills are the next step in encouraging young people to plan and engage successfully in working life.

Supporting companies explained their involvement at the launch event, directly to teachers. Telefonica, represented by Public Affairs manager Jaime Alabart, declared "We Europeans need to create a new raft of companies, and quickly! For this, we need to promote entrepreneurship, and to engage people already at secondary schools."

He also explained the telecom operators' choice of this project: "Because JA-YE is the largest provider of entrepreneurship education, and Schoolnet has excellent access to schools."

Turning to teachers, Alabart added: We are going to give you the tools, the people to help you […]. We are giving not only our efforts, but also our money. If you have problems [in implementing], please let us know.'

Jean-Marc Boxus is executive partner with Accenture Belgium. His consultancy wants to help bring 250,000 people into the job market by 2015, and hopes this project will contribute one fifth of this target.

Nokia's Marko Mahkonen is in charge of 'education policy', not a frequent title in corporations. The equipment manufacturers' manager stated that some of Europe's education is outdated, so the challenge is to speed up reforms.

Carlo Scatoli, in charge of skills and education at the Commission's DG Education and Culture, welcomed that entrepreneurship is now part of the core skills recommended for national curricula, and hopes for further developments under the Europe 2020 strategy.

Raymond Maes, in charge of Youth Employment, entrepreneurship and microfinance, in the DG Employment and Social Affairs said that so far, ministries for social affairs may have been less attentive to entrepreneurship. But, on the ground, action is under way: over the 2007-2013 financial perspective period, €2.75 billion are being invested by EU countries in entrepreneurship.

He also called for better policies: "Flexicurity should also apply in this area. Social protection schemes are needed, especially in these crisis days, so that unsuccessful entrepreneurs can get unemployment support and then become employed again."

Stressing the need to build bridges between policies, Maes stated: "Start-ups can now access microfinance within the EU social fund framework, up to 25,000 euros. Then, growing entrepreneurs can graduate into SME support coordinated by DG Enterprise and other bodies."