Start Up Competition + Development of Entrepreneurial Competences in Vocational Schools of the Border Region

The entrepreneurial potential of the SKHU border region is far from being explored. There are numerous start-up initiatives, mainly centered in the capital cities and university towns, concentrating around university students and young professionals. Meanwhile, young people with lesser education (fewer finished classes) living in the countryside are left with few possibilities to learn about innovation and entrepreneurship and/or to join the growing start-up ecosystem. 
The past experiences of the organizations partnering up in the frame of the present project show that young people attending vocational schools possess a considerable innovation potential that can be revealed through adequate educational projects concentrating on practical competences.
Our goal is to organize a virtual international start-up competition for vocational school students (age group: 16-19 yrs.), based on a special blended learning course led by skilled mentors and an interactive digital platform that allows students to reflect on each other’s work.  We will engage 2 x 18 mentors from at least 2 x 6 institutions, we will build a blended learning course of 2 x 6 weeks, we will train the mentors, involve around 200 to 300 students and organize 2 x 3 regional-level competitions in local languages as well as one final competition in English.  We will blend the methodology of vocational education with the spirit of the start-up ecosystem. 
The project will be cost-effective, as it will firmly rely on the results of previous projects, so there is no need to build new digital infrastructure and the e-learning curricula, these assets will only be adjusted to the needs of the competition.
We will put an emphasis on the visibility of the project, and we will involve future sponsors who can guarantee the financial basis of future competitions thus assuring the long-term sustainability of the project.