How Junior Entrepreneur Programme works?

 

JEP pupils start a business in the classroom

 

LEARNING NEW LIFE SKILLS

Through the JEP curriculum, games and learning aids, pupils get a clear picture of what creating a business is all about. Every step mirrors strands in the primary school curriculum. This means that pupils are learning new life skills as well as their core subjects.

 

THINKING LIKE AN ENTREPRENEUR

The learning that takes place during JEP will give children a greater understanding of many things that happen in the real world. They will get to understand how the value of goods and services is created and how skill, talent and creativity can create more than the sum of their parts in an entrepreneurial enterprise. Whether they ever become an entrepreneur or not is irrelevant. They will have a better understanding of what happens in their lives and will have their first opportunity to think in an entrepreneurial fashion. That’s something that will stand to them in their further education and throughout their working lives.

 

WORKING WITH A LOCAL ENTREPRENEUR

The programme works closely with the local community – involving local entrepreneurs who share their story and that of their business with the pupils. This puts entrepreneurship in a local and meaningful context. Every pupil gets a chance to uncover their own strengths and play a key role in one of five distinct teams – Finance, Marketing, Design & Production, Sales and Storytelling.

 

INVESTING IN THE BUSINESS

Pupils are given the chance to invest a token amount of money in the business – with a view to getting it back with profit, to understand the real impact of risk and reward. When they’re investing their own hard earned money, they want to make sure they get it back – hopefully with profit.

The programme culminates in showcase day, when the learning, hard work and team spirit come together. That’s when family, the rest of the school and community get a chance to see the results of all the hard work done during the programme.

 

CREATIVE BUSINESS IDEAS

Children use their creativity to come up with individual business ideas, they come together as a class to choose one idea and then work to turn this idea into reality over a 12-16 week period. They’ve got to do the hard work – researching what customers really want, working out their costs and how much to charge for it. They figure out what they’re good at and try to use those skills to play their part in a team. All along the way, they’ve got the support of their classmates, teachers and family.

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