Final Report of the Expert Group - European Commission - Europa

The duration is 8 weeks, during the summer holidays, and it is aimed at young people from17 to 19 years old.The aim is to let young people gain the knowledge and experience of running a company andto learn entrepreneurship during their summer holiday, thus creating their own summer jobinstead of having a job given to them by the municipality. In fact, in Sweden it is a commonpractice for municipalities to offer young people a summer job in their area of responsibility(for example, gardening, etc.).The project starts with a two-week introduction course, combining theory and practice.During these two weeks participants get a subsidy from the municipality. (55-65 Swedishcrowns per day). Then they run their own company for six weeks.The summer-entrepreneurs get a special F-tax (a sort of tax permit to run a company ) fromthe beginning of June until the end of August. At the end of August the entrepreneursliquidate the company and submit their own income tax return to the tax authority.Interaction with businesses or with the local community is ensured thanks to the participationof advisers or counsellors from industry, the municipality or other organisations.Contact:Open for business in the county of Västernorrlandwww.ofb.nu3.10. Young Enterprise Company Programme (UK)The YE Company programme is developed through a long established UK-wide networkorganisational structure. This structure has an excellent track record of engaging business inpartnership with the public sector to provide the resources of funding, facilities, peopleand materials to deliver their tried and tested programmes. The YE Company Programmematerials are refreshed on a 3-year cyclical basis and make appropriate use of CD and websitetechnology whilst remaining grounded in good printed materials.The programme has proven itself to be replicable and capable of being scaled up on anational level, whilst retaining the personal commitment of local people to deliver to students.The Young Enterprise Company Programme (aimed at students aged 15 to 19) givesthousands of students each year the opportunity to prepare for working life through theexperience of running their own company, supported by volunteer advisers from business,over the course of one academic year. The volunteer advisers from business are essential tothe smooth and successful running of the programme, as it is they who guide the studentsthrough the business process.Students elect a Board of Directors from amongst their peers, raise share capital, and marketand finance a product or service of their own choice. After producing a business plan andfinalising the marketing strategy, the company has to plan how to finance the purchases ofraw materials and stock. The production of a prototype should reveal any practical difficultiesand give some idea of the number of finished items that can be produced in a given time. TheOperations Department will make plans for the production and assembly of the componentparts of the product.During the year the YE Area Board organises at least one Trade Fair and there are also largerregional, national and European trade fairs. All these activities allow achievers to meet otherachievers from different companies and, in the case of trade fairs, to sell their products. At the27