What is Europe doing to support young entrepreneurs?

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"Challenging the Entrepreneurship Status Quo" was the theme of this year’s JADE Spring Meeting.

According to the junior entrepreneurs participating in the event the reason why this topic was chosen is clear: “Challenging the Entrepreneurship Status Quo means encouraging the agile youth to stand for a reform in development and quality of life. It means changing the numbers into a mindset, and a mindset, into a culture.”

The Opening Ceremony began with an enthusiastic spirit in the form of a debate around the question: Is the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Europe actually supporting youth to create new jobs?

The discussion was moderated by Steven Price, CEO of the European Institute of Industrial Leadership, and animated by 4 outstanding participants from the European Commission, Microsoft, UNIDO and Ernst&Young.

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The Opening Ceremony ended with a pitching competition of 12 junior enterprises that were running for awards in 6 categories (Most Socially Responsible Project, Most Innovative Project, Most International Junior Enterprise, Most Entrepreneurial Junior Enterprise, Most Promising Junior Enterprise, and Junior Enterprise of the Year)

Every company or organization represented by a different member of the jury was associated with an award. UNIDO was linked with the award for the Most Socially Responsible Project due to its close work with the private sector on CSR. As mentioned by UNIDO’s representative at the Awarding Ceremony: “Entrepreneurs should always keep in mind that apart from being competitive from an economic standpoint, they have a broader responsibility towards society and the environment”.

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During the JADE Spring Meeting over 200 students participated to workshops organized by companies and organizations such as ING Bank, Uber, Penrose, DASHMOTE and MakeSense. 

UNIDO is supporting entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial spirit around the world. We link education systems with labour markets and build skills for productive activities and needs in industries. Amongst other things we have supported 2.5 million students through Entrepreneurship Curriculum Development (ECD) programmes and thousands of SMEs worldwide to improve their management and performance.  The JADE spring meeting provided an excellent opportunity to discuss the challenges linked to entrepreneurship in Europe and beyond. Let’s work together to unfold the great potential of young people to contribute to prosperity and sustainability in our societies!