Lecturers of Vocational School of Izmir University of Economics (IUE) will be mentoring entrepreneurial high school students. IUE academicians, in collaboration with Genç Başarı Eğitim Vakfı (Junior Achievement Turkey), will be mentoring the entrepreneurial projects of high school students, and those projects will later on compete at “Company of the Year Competition”.

Burçin Önder, Director of IUE Vocational School, reported that Junior Achievement Turkey worked under JA Europe center located at Brussels. Önder said, “We will provide the students training on entrepreneurship, economics, and business management. We will contribute to their entrepreneurship and creativity. We will mentor them on the entrepreneurial projects they developed. Working in a group, students will organize a company structure and plan the entire work flow of a company during this process”.

Önder stated that they would be mentoring students from the following high schools: Balçova Anadolu, Bayraklı Halit Özpirinç Anadolu, Private Bornova Anadolu, Çiğli Science, Gaziemir İMKB Vocational and Technical, Oğuzhan Özkaya Fen, Dr. Güngör Özbek Anadolu, Şehit Fethi Bey Vocational and Technical, Güzelbahçe Bilgince Anadolu, Yeşilyurt İMKB Vocational and Technical, Mersinli Vocational and Technical, Namık Kemal Anadolu, Cengiz Aytmatov Social Sciences, Narlıdere Sıdıka Akdemir Science and Art Center.

Junior Achievement Turkey collaborated on mentoring with a university for the first time, indicated Önder. “Projects developed by high school students nationwide will compete at Company of the Year Competition, and we will be mentoring students on their work flow management. This project is very important in terms of extending entrepreneurship ecosystem in our country. We want to show students that their opinions can be put into practice,” said Önder.