Schools invited to particpate in Junior Entrepreneur programme

THE Junior Entrepreneur Programme (JEP) has launched its 2019 recruitment programme, inviting primary schools across the island to participate in its entrepreneurship programme. The programme centres around primary schoolchildren in 5th and 6th class learning about entrepreneurship and launching classroom businesses. The businesses range from clocks to games to books and solutions for everyday problems.

JEP has given more than 50,000 primary school pupils on the island of Ireland the opportunity to experience practical, real-life business learning as part of their formative education, since it was founded in 2010.

In 2018 the 12,000 children across 480 classes whom each invested a few euros each in their businesses achieved sales of €220,000 and net profit of €140,000. The funds belong to the children and the use of those funds is set by the children themselves. It’s usually a combination of returning investment and profit to the children, charitable contributions and class treats.

‘JEP gives children an extra chance to learn about the real world before they’ve got to make decisions about what to study in second level. It gives children the opportunity to do something for themselves, to invest their money and get back profit they’ve made themselves. Along the way they learn the importance of entrepreneurs in their community and find out what they’re good at’ explained Jerry Kennelly Chairman of JEP and founder of Tweak.com which underwrites the JEP programme.

Class sign up for JEP 2019 is open now to primary schools 5th & 6th class and is open until Friday September 28th 2018. Learn more at www.juniorentrepreneur.ie.