Lycée du Nord Students Win JEL Practice Enterprises National Final

The non-profit organisation Jonk Entrepreneuren Luxembourg organised the first national final of the "Practice Enterprises" (Entreprise d’entraînement) competition on Monday 10 July 2023, with over 150 students gathering at the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce for the occasion.

Ten finalist teams were chosen from a total of 21 companies from thirteen secondary schools. During this final, the students presented their company, what they have learned, as well as the challenges and successes of their company in front of a jury. After the jury’s deliberation, Patrick Wies, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Jonk Entrepreneuren Luxembourg, launched the award ceremony by addressing the young people and encouraged them to be proud of all they have accomplished this year and to continue to develop their skills. The Luxembourg Minister of Education, Children and Youth, Claude Meisch, then congratulated the finalists and all the students who participated in the programme this year. In his speech, Minister Meisch emphasised that these kinds of programmes better prepare young people for their professional life with concrete skills and insight into a company’s daily activities.

Two prizes were awarded, namely the prize for the Best Daily Management 2023 (taking into consideration criteria evaluated throughout the school year) and that of the Best Practice Enterprise 2023 (taking into consideration the results of the Best Daily management, of the practice firm fair in December, of a "social media challenge" and presentations during the final).

The concept of the practice enterprise has existed since the 1950s and many countries implement it through various sectors (school, vocational training, professional reintegration, etc.). In Luxembourg, the concept was introduced in 2006 in the school curriculum as a compulsory course. The practice enterprise has since been a course given in general secondary education (vocational training system) administrative and commercial division.

Practice enterprises are fictitious companies integrated into a global network, constituting a real parallel market allowing them to undertake commercial actions between them by simulating the real market as closely as possible.

The objective of the practice enterprise is to put into practice the theoretical knowledge acquired in other courses and to acquire an overview of the functioning of a company. Interactions between the various departments as well as with external bodies are thus promoted. It is, therefore, through commercial practice that practice enterprise aims to best prepare young people for the world of work.

This year, Jonk Entrepreneuren Luxembourg decided to organise a practice enterprise final for the first time, aiming to give to ten finalist teams the possibility to present the results of the work accomplished throughout the school year.

The jury, made up of four members  (two representing the world of education and two representatives of the business world) evaluated the presentations of the practice enterprises in order to designate the winners. For this final, Jonk Entrepreneuren Luxembourg invited the following jury members: Blanche Lamesch, Head of the Promotion and Awareness of Careers Department of the Chamber of Skilled Trades and Crafts; Jean Toussaint, Head of Corporate Relations/Corporate Banking Department of Spuerkeess (BCEE); Paul Kohnen, teacher at the Lycée Classique d’Echternach; Tom Emeringer, teacher at the Lycée Aline Mayrisch.

The 3rd prize for the Best Practice Enterprise 2023 was awarded to “Bakstuff” from the Lycée Technique d’Ettelbruck. The 2nd prize for the Best Practice Enterprise 2023 was awarded to "Mapa sàrl" from the Lycée Technique du Centre. A “Jury’s Favourite” prize for the best presentation of the final was awarded to “Insane” from École Privée Marie-Consolatrice. The 1st prize for Best Practice Enterprise 2023, as well as the prize for Best Daily Management were awarded to “Green Getaway” from the Lycée du Nord in Wiltz.