Final Report of the Expert Group - European Commission - Europa

4. The current application of programmes: dissemination, main obstacles, evaluation4.1. Student companies at the different levels of educationIt is in secondary level education (and particularly upper secondary) that student companyprogrammes are more widespread, and that they can be more effective. Experience shows thata real or fictitious company can be successfully run by a team of secondary school students,who are intellectually and socially ready to bear responsibility for working autonomously on acomplete enterprise project. It is at this stage that young people will need to complete theacquisition of personal and non-specialised skills, such as team working, communication andproject work, which they will need in their future professional life. Also, during secondaryschool students will start thinking about their future career; therefore, exposure toentrepreneurship can have the highest impact. Finally, in secondary education young peopleare still allowed to experiment and find their way (including through making mistakes)without too much pressure.Nonetheless, student company programmes are also applied successfully in primary educationand at university.In primary school, the activities and tasks to be performed are simpler, and programmes havea shorter duration (for instance 2-3 months, or just the time needed to develop a specificproject). The methodology will be more oriented towards learning by playing, throughexperimentation and games. Emphasis will be rather on attitudes (team working, initiative,etc.) than on business skills. Activities already existing inside the school will be often used(like organising a bazaar, raising money for a school trip, etc.), or the student company maybe organised around a certain event (like selling products at a Christmas Fair). Basiceconomic literacy will be provided, for instance through stories, games and simple activities.Children will become more aware of how the world outside the classroom is organised. Visitsto local businesses form part of these activities. Meetings with business representatives willbe also included in student company methodologies at this level.Yggdrasil (reconstructing the Viking age) - The Grinder school entrepreneurial projectIn Norway, the Grinder school in Grue is a primary school in an inland community. Therewas a settlement there during the late Iron Age, which is the early Viking age in Norway.Pupils in 5 th and 6 th grades have reconstructed a Viking-age farm within the school grounds.In these houses the pupils recreate Viking life in the community and dress in Viking clothes,cook meals based on food types from the Viking era. Part of the project is also to demonstratethe carding of wool and other activities that have to do with everyday life and culture inViking times.The entrepreneurial aspect is fund-raising from local and national institutions and theinvolvement and coordination of all the actors. This pedagogical concept sees theparticipation of the whole school. Additionally it involves local entrepreneurs, thecommunity, parents, local and national museum experts.At university level, the methodologies used have a stronger focus on business planning andgenerating business ideas. More theoretical knowledge needs to be provided at this stage, andcompanies will be guided towards innovation and knowledge-based activities. The studentcompany activity has less a pedagogical purpose and is more aimed at finding real workingopportunities for students, i.e. moving to the real business environment. Students at this level29