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. The programme is designed to integrate into the primary school curriculum, with each step providing opportunities for pupils to learn new life skills in addition to comprehensively covering 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 gain a better understanding of what happens in the day-to-day life of an entrepreneur 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 & Technology, Design & Production, Sales and Communications.

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.

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 the local community get a chance to see the results of all the hard work done during the programme.

RUN BY ENTREPRENEURS

Successful entrepreneurs throughout the island of Ireland are championing the rollout of the programme in their counties. JEP partners with the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Alumni – a community of successful Irish entrepreneurs – who share their knowledge and experience with JEP classes. JEP is delivered without any cost to parents or schools in the participating counties.

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.