“It’s important to start as early as possible, often as soon as middle school,” emphasizes Amandine Oudart. “We also support young students in CM1/CM2 in discovering the life of a business or their community. But our educational programs for mini-companies have an extremely strong impact, especially for high school students, because this is a key moment in an adolescent's life when they will orient themselves towards a field, a sector, and begin to choose a profession or a career path.”
The mini-company gives a middle school student the opportunity to become a business leader for a school year, and a high school student the chance to become an HR manager, communications officer, or production manager. It’s a real entrepreneurial adventure that allows these young people to work collectively within a class to imagine, develop, and market a product or service throughout the school year.
These programs are run by the association Entreprendre pour Apprendre and are based on soft skills, which include collaboration, communication, creativity, and especially self-awareness and self-confidence.
It’s a collective adventure for the young people, but there are also mentors, collaborators, and employees involved who come to the classroom several times a year to support and coach these young people in their mini-company program. These are professionals trained and supported by the association.
“The mini-company is an extremely impactful program for all stakeholders, but especially for the young people. It helps to re-engage some young people who may no longer find meaning in school.”
“The practical application of academic knowledge in mathematics, which allows for creating a business plan, in French for working on a pitch, or in visual arts for creating a logo, communication, or brand, are very important skills for young people. And they realize, by learning through doing, that this is essential for their future professional life. A large number of students transform,” concludes Amandine Oudart.
