Blog

Proud to promote vocational education as first choice

Caroline Jenner, CEO JA Europe

There are few people who have done as much to raise the profile of Vocational Education and Training (VET) as Marianne Thyssen, outgoing EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility. It was she who in 2014 launched the idea of a European Vocational Skills Week to heighten awareness of the value of VET and stimulate collaboration between stakeholders. Her mantra in speech after speech was that VET should not only be an equal choice, but a first choice. She is right.

Entrepreneurship education can help to deliver a stronger Europe

Diana Filip, Deputy CEO I VP for Marketing and Development, JA Europe

What young people expect from the EU
Tomorrow, on Europe Day, EU Heads of State will renew their commitment to an EU that delivers on the issues that really matter to its citizens. The EU and its Member States are facing challenging times with rising social unrest, paired with weak economic performances. Leaders will need to prioritise to make change happen quickly, visibly and sustainably.

I'm coming back to school as an Ambassador of the JA project

Martina Dlabajova, Member of European Parliament, Czech Republic

"Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of minds to think." -Albert Einstein

I must confess that I like my job at the European Parliament, although there are days when I would like to exchange my parliamentary bench with a school bench. Who doesn't like remembering those carefree school years?  However, we should be careful what we wish for because sometimes it might come true. That's how I ended up back at secondary school - even if from a slightly different position.

Developments in Entrepreneurship

Simone Baldassarri, Policy Officer for DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs

Having been working at European level for a number of years already to promote entrepreneurship education, we can see that things are slowly but constantly moving. Most countries in Europe have significantly increased their efforts in the area of entrepreneurship education.

Is an entrepreneurial mindset something you can teach and learn?

Dr. Friederike Sözen, Senior Advisor, Department of Educational Policy for the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKÖ)

Yes, we are convinced that you can teach entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial mindset. Entrepreneurship is all about attitudes, skills and competences.