“Entrepreneurship for Youth” project kick-off
On November 21, Junior Achievement Azerbaijan held the kick-off meeting of the project “Entrepreneurship for Youth” funded by the European Union, part of the European Union’s Education Support Program in Azerbaijan. The project is implemented by Junior Achievement Azerbaijan in partnership with Junior Achievement Estonia, Azerbaijan Micro-finance Association (AMFA), Barama Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center and co-funded by Pasha Bank.
The overall objective of the “Entrepreneurship for Youth” project is to strengthen capacity-building and ensure the participation of civil society in the development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The action aims to promote a dialogue among various stakeholders and engage local entrepreneurs, business professionals and representatives of CSOs in capacity building, resource development and delivery of entrepreneurship education and financial literacy. The project will be implemented in Baku, Gabala, Gakh, Ganja, Khachmaz, Masally, Mingachevir and Zagatala regions. The action will engage 150 teachers and 3000 students of pilot vocational and secondary schools.
“Entrepreneurship for Youth” will be realized through four stages implemented in close cooperation with the Ministry of Education. This will include the development of high-quality content, teaching resources and tools for delivery of entrepreneurship education and financial literacy based on Junior Achievement programs; capacity building and teacher training; piloting/testing (student training) and evaluation; preparation of the policy briefs and recommendations for integration of entrepreneurship education and financial literacy into the educational curricula through the application of best practices.
The kick-off meeting was organized to inform participants about the start of the project, provide an overview of the project objectives and activities with stakeholders and invite them to join the network of stakeholders. Project partners, representatives from government agencies, CSOs, embassies and business sector participated at the kick-off meeting. The special guests of the meeting were Mrs. Mahabbat Valiyeva, deputy minister of education and H.E. Ambassador Kestutis Jankauskas, head of the EU Delegation in the Republic of Azerbaijan. Mrs. Deputy Minister underlined the importance and the need of introducing financial literacy and entrepreneurial education at the secondary schools. Entrepreneurial education, which is the core element of this project, teaches the important skills of innovative and creative thinking, helping youth to develop a flexible “growth mindset” and includes life skills as well as business skills. Therefore, “Entrepreneurship for Youth” project is aligned with the State Strategy on Education Development.
In his remarks, H.E Ambassador Jankauskas outlined how the project fits with the European Union priorities for cooperation in Azerbaijan, namely ensuring that the education system responds to the needs of the labour market through skills development, and thus contributing to economic diversification and job creation. The Ambassador also mentioned the importance of the project in terms of demonstrating the contribution that civil society can bring to the socio-economic development of the country, and to bringing together government and private sector.
A panel discussion on the topic “Entrepreneurship and financial literacy among youth” was organized during the meeting. Aynura Piriyeva, head of Corporate Banking and Business Development of Pasha Bank, Jhale Hajiyeva, executive director of AMFA, Imran Baghirov, general manager of BARAMA Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre and Sevinj Mammadova, executive director of JA Azerbaijan made presentations and shared their experiences in working with youth and boosting SMEs development in Azerbaijan.
