Junior Enterprises are student-run organisations which among others provide services for companies and institutions. JEs enhance the learning of their members and deliver value to their customers.

Universities across the world unite students who are pursuing degrees to learn and develop themselves. Most institutions of higher education bring together students from various backgrounds with interests in all directions possible. This creates a great baseline for collaborating across fields of study. This is happening within the curriculum but a great share is also done within the periphery of student associations.

Student associations provide opportunities for students to be actively involved not only in their studies but also in extracurricular activities. Learn hands-on how to run an organisation and manage teams actively, already before graduating. Organise events, workshops, and make big plans – and then develop the ability to adjust and reiterate plans until they become reality. Create an impact for yourself, your fellow students but also the people around you. The entrepreneurial learnings can be vast and friendships often last way beyond studying.

Junior Enterprises are student organisations that not only connect their students. The entrepreneurial mindset is actively developed. The whole learning process is set in a real-life business environment where the students are responsible for delivering project work to clients. Junior Entrepreneurs engineer the whole process from acquiring projects, developing offers to negotiating the scope of the projects. They engage with their clients during project preparation and execution to meet their demand and deliver high-quality projects to the market.

Junior Entrepreneurs are enabled to deliver meaningful projects to the business community by a vast catalogue of business training that they complete. Internal training is supplemented by training with partnering companies and leading NGOs on local, national, and international levels. Thereby, students are capable of applying their theoretical knowledge in a business context and deliver meaningful results.

“I particularly welcome Junior Enterprises Europe’s efforts in taking entrepreneurship education further in Europe and offering as many students as possible a real-life experience of what it means to be entrepreneurial in today’s world.”

Ursula von der Leyen, 
President of the European Commission

Junior Enterprises are like real companies and students have the opportunity to run a life-like organisation with client-work already during studying. Junior Enterprises are knowledge labs within academic institutions where the latest theoretical research is applied in a business context. Junior Enterprises encourage their students to go further with a driven attitude and to think of them as future shapers and active citizens.

The first Junior Enterprise was founded in 1967 in France and by today the concept has spread to 46 countries around the world. Over 51.000 Junior Entrepreneurs are active in over 1220 Junior Enterprises which deliver over 22.800 projects per year. Across Europe, there are 11 national confederations and in four more countries, confederations are developing. Junior Enterprises Europe integrates and develops the confederations on a European level, increases recognition and together we grow. The Junior Enterprise Network is one of the leading youth entrepreneurship movements in the world where students develop to be capable and committed to generating a relevant impact.

Written by Jan Bittner, Public Affairs Manager at JEE

If you gave any questions, please send them to publicaffairs@juniorenterprises.eu.