Become Your Own Boss! Erasmus Project

Project Title

Become Your Own Boss!

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for Schools Only

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education

Project Summary

The background of this project is a long-standing partnership between two schools in mid Scandinavia, Jämtlands Gymnasium (JGY) and Thora Storm Upper Secondary School (TSV). The two schools have participated in two successful Interreg projects with the aim of developing entrepreneurial thinking among the students, and inspire them to start a new business. In order to develop the project further M.A.Refalo Sixth Form was included in the project. They were chosen since they are a school that share the ideas of entrepreneurial thinking with the other two schools.
Carrying out innovative, entrepreneurial methods on students are the objectives of the project. In this project, the students get to test their skills against students at their own level or at even higher levels, through workshops and Camp Creative. Additionally, we develop student and teaching skills at the same time. We aim to transfer entrepreneurial thinking among a large body of transnational students and teachers. The sum of many people encouraged to develop and share new thinking is the most efficient way of developing new ideas.

We will focus on short term mobilites for teachers and students, where they will travel to the different countries once a year, in order to exchanges practices, and try out new methods within pedagogical entrepreneurship. In addition to the partners, we will also invite local businesses to participate, which makes the project a part of the local community and show the students that these are skills needed by both the local and the international community, through Camp Creative. Furthermore, the activities give us the opportunity to promote the development, testing and implementation of innovative practices in education.

The way to implement such innovative practices where students also contribute to the development of local businesses is Camp Creative in Malta, Norway and Sweden. Here real businesses present challenges they actually need advice on how to solve. The students then work continuously on the challenge and present their results to the companies. These competitions are highly popular among local businesses and students find the tasks very motivational.

The transnational activities we intend to carry out will foster entrepreneurial mind-sets and skills, commercial skills, encourage active citizenship and entrepreneurship between the students from the three different countries. We seek to implement the entrepreneurial methodology for a range of around 30 students a year in each country. In this way, we believe that we will be able to reduce early school leaving and increase employability. Through the exchanges, the students will gain knowledge of each other’s cultures and improve their language skills. Outcomes will be certified using Europass and local certificates.

By helping students to get this international experience through direct contact with the other partners, we increase the skills of the workforce in our respective regions. Students today face an entrance into a labour market with a high level of youth unemployment. The experience that the project gives students will increase their attractiveness and employability when they enter the job market after graduation. On an individual level, there will be opportunities for students to develop a broad understanding of real business challenges and solutions, both through planning and in competition with others. Staff participating in the project will gain opportunities to develop teaching skills that will endure beyond the project itself. Students will benefit from these improved teaching skills and competencies, which will enrich opportunities, offered to students by the project and will enhance the professional skills of teachers. As a long-term benefit, we hope the students will consider starting their own business in the local community in the future, thus creating jobs.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 126160 Eur

Project Coordinator

Jämtlands Gymnasieförbund & Country: SE

Project Partners

• Sir M.A.Refalo Sixth Form
• Thora Storm videregående skole