Junior Achievement

As a junior company (also junior companies) is called a trainee or student autonomously based training company that is mostly under the umbrella of a training organization or a school conducted with real business, real goods and real money flows ( as a student company or companies ) in the long run. Such companies now serve mainly educational and educational purposes and are depending on the needs and opportunities are structured differently.

History

Companies that were led by trainees or students, have slowly evolved to their present forms. Transitions of teaching models and commercial documents, for example, already available, as apprentices earned some extra money by selling their own work in the market and the associated business processes themselves or organized guided by the master. From a company we speak today, however, only when a service-like structure is present, as well as a guided, but independent operation that is often hedged in financial terms, to a certain degree by the trainers. This also is not new. Already from 1796 is documented in an independently managed store of students as part of an educational institution Leipzig. In the 1920s, labor and production schools have been established. In the Gear Factory Friedrichshafen the first real exercise company was founded in 1975.

The term comes from a junior company in 1983 by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education initiated three -year model, which was attended by eight differently structured industries. The aim of the experiment was to test project-oriented work in the commercial vocational training. By May 2000 the number of operational junior enterprise had grown in Germany to about 70, including 38 at the Deutsche Bahn AG. The first junior companies in the vocational school sector were conceived in 1987. In the school sector is often referred to student companies or student companies.

Internationally oriented to practicing real companies can be demonstrated only in the school nearby area. Thus, the so-called Junior Achievement movement was founded in the USA in 1916. Today, the movement of students includes guided Junior Achievement companies in nearly 100 countries. In Europe, founded in 1977 Young Enterprises now count for Junior Achievement movement.

Purposes

These companies can fulfill a larger number of purposes and functions, which are not by teaching or poorly covered. This includes especially the teaching of skills, competencies but also self-confidence in one's own work, a sense of achievement and team spirit. This is the personality development of students, encourages their cooperation and also leads to the strengthening of their educational and professional ability. Students should be prepared by an independent and self-reliant and need for integrated thinking for professional life in order to cope with the local requirements.

These companies are now set up but also for purposes that go beyond vocational training. Other destinations can in the creation of collaborative social spaces exist for the special and funding education, the basic relation allow occupational therapy and other therapeutic measures, but on the other hand, mediate and advanced students pre-employment skills. Here are a variety of combination models in use. In the special education field, the practical work will be used so that an appropriate activity is found for each student. Herein lies an advantage that can not be achieved or only with great difficulty through lesson planning. Particularly in the case of small-scale production of small series all students can learn each operation, develop routines, but also be involved depending on skills in the planning of material and budget management or sales, which may give an incentive to work more successfully and to generate some profit. A contrast to the classical therapy from the perspective of a student is that no individual items are made from beginning to end, but the work builds on each previous operations and the subsequent devices provides a machined workpiece.

Often, the company projects will be partially, partly carried out in the teaching time in leisure. They are therefore suitable also for types of schools with boarding accommodation. Some schemes provide that the company is led by student teams for a limited project period (weeks to months), at the end of a sales period is often that gives the sense of achievement and the project ended with a final evaluation. But there are also long-term projects from each succesive " generations of students " to be continued, with adventitious newcomers are guided by more experienced students, which can provide additional positive experiences.

As a rule, causes temporal brevity of the project, lack of money and therefore low mechanization and automation, that the profits generated are very modest or incurred loss that must be compensated for pedagogical reasons, since otherwise not adjust the desired achievement. This is usually cushioned by allocations in the parent company, so that students have the impression of a successful company. For example, expenditure on labor rooms, driving activity, heating / electricity or tools through the educational operation can be worn so that only the actual materials management is the responsibility of the learner. Even with a total of uneconomic working juniors operation can the students learning are made possible in simulated real-life situations, industry knowledge and relationships of cost accounting, which are not treated in the regular classroom or in not striking as directly perceivable cause-effect principle.

Due to the predominantly pedagogical orientation, the products or services may be, rarely geared to the needs and abilities of students to the market situation. This is particularly the special funding area conducive in which often needs to be made ​​, what the students can, even if it does not have to be particularly sought after item. In the promotion of gifted learners can be laid on quality products or unique piece productions, such as electrical equipment or computer programs. High-performance students benefit personally from this educational opportunity that can not be achieved by ordinary classroom.

Conception

For companies, there are no uniform concepts. All such companies, however, are geared to generate as visible and real money and goods flows with marketable products and services that can be easily understood and reproduced. In the organizational structure of the company is based in general on the respective mother plant or the facility in which it is conducted.

Management and leadership

The management of business operations is partially or completely in the participating trainees who perform all work autonomously or be supported and guided by the responsible officials of the parent company. These are often employees from the personnel or training field, and representatives from the departments.

The extent to which tasks can be taken over by the learners is related to their skills. In teaching field work tasks are distributed, which are explained through information materials and the educators. The works themselves are to be executed independently. This applies both to the organization, as well as production. For gifted students, many companies strive for a more self-determined way of working, in which the teachers only propose goals, but there left to the way the learner and his creative abilities.

With special support programs for children with deficits, students often work in the presence of teachers and receive legal tasks, that is, the task will be found that the approach or the sequence of steps are explained. In the artisanal sector these are, for example, operations on the workpiece. In organizing and planning algorithms are respected, as enshrined eg information sheets for the management of simple accounting books and can directly be looked up in the paperwork.

Positioning in the market

The companies usually are not subject to normal market competition and in the framework of their educational institution a practice or shelter is that needs to be actively maintained; However, some companies may be fully aligned to the market, which thus represents the environment. In other cases, the business environment is the educational institution itself, the other departments may be customers or suppliers. As part of a major operation that requires the goods produced for the other processes, this structure offers. With this, the junior company is a division, but has its own set of accounts.

If the company generates profits, he often remain in the project or is discharged as an incentive to the young people. The way to reward students with financial incentives for their work, but also used in practice, if the company overall not be economically viable. Because most of these companies are dependent on their carrier operation, which also carries the pedagogical staff and other expenses. Deficits are typically cushioned as cost factors are taken from the mother plant, so that the accounts becomes positive again.

Shares and ownership structure

Occupational junior company is typically a small business in large enterprises. In addition to the students more carriers are often involved, including:

• School, that is, the school management and supervising teachers
• Teaching
• Sometimes the parents
• Occasionally also other shareholders
• External to the school partners: support agencies, clubs, farms
• With special educational facilities often support or umbrella organizations

The junior company may be wholly owned by the parent operation or follow other models. Regardless of the true ownership structure, the legal basis, but also the cost often is used the opportunity to allow students or apprentices a proportionate ownership in the company. In junior companies in the field of vocational training complex content models are possible, which actually also represent ownership in a legal sense. The trainees never liable for debts or bankruptcies that are impossible in almost all cases. Depending on the model apprentices can increase their share. If a student from his shares be transferred back, or he may, depending on the model, these shares also hold, for example, to support the company and the subsequent apprentices.

In the school or special education field very simple models are often preferred that exist in the visible Deposit of small symbolic amounts in corporate expenses. From this fund will also earned winnings are paid.

Teaching methodology

Conceptually, the companies will usually represent a project -like compounds of practice and theory, action and reflection, planning and decision-making and are often set up so that they illustrate operational procedures and training content. This maximum is to be connected to reality with a basic level of simplistic simulation. Because of the connection between work and learning the junior company is counted among the action-oriented Lehr-/Lernmethoden. On transparency value is set, the current levels are often shown on panels or generally accessible sources of information.

Purpose

The concept is suitable for all occupations, however, often found in commercial vocational training. In particular, highly talented trainees can be encouraged. In some of these companies, the supervisor may perceive a part of the leadership, if less powerful trainees are involved in the business or fail due to employee Internships or holiday.

In addition, this teaching method is also suitable for all types of schools who do a lot of craft activities in the context of therapeutic programs, the results of which do not remain useless or should be discarded. In special or funding education recurring activities of craftsmen example, are often always done ( basket weaving, woodwork or design and crafts) in which larger quantities of finished products are obtained, which can not be fully sold by stalls or at events. Here contracts can be concluded with real companies that include these products in their range. Often student companies smaller niches occupied, such as the manufacture of wooden toys or Craft to seasonal themes ( Easter, Christmas, etc. ), which then can be painted by end consumers or may be a material basis for further educational activities in other facilities.

In operational use, the term junior company or junior companies also be the name of a division of the parent company, are used in the trainees. In this case, the processes of the company can be fully simulated, whereby the purchaser may also be located within the parent company itself. Strictly speaking, then there is a section with separate accounts, their maintenance costs are borne by the entire operation but.

Levels of observation

Junior companies are partially or completely simulations depending on the concept and actual economic basis. However, they should be considered for educational reasons by all parties as an independent, autonomous acting company. Among other things, this, the pedagogical added value depends on the results from the conviction of the students that their work brings success and avoids a failure. Responsibility can be established in particular by the fact that the success of efforts is kept uncertain and depends on the parties involved. Especially with long-standing company is not emphasized that the company is in principle continue forever and also uneconomic conditions for pedagogical reasons and buffered financially. You see them as separate things, when employees, customers or business success is the speech. In the literature, however, these companies are understood as Lehr-/Lernmethode that must be actively pursued and maintained by educators. This results in three observation levels can be derived.

In the economic level of consideration economically - rational action is in the foreground. The students enjoy the status of permanent employees rather than trainees. You can make the company and make business-related decisions. The success is primarily measured by the profits made, which should always be present, even if he absolutely viewed only through financial relief on the part of the parent company comes about. The occupational worker may act as an advisor or decision-makers in operational substantive issues. The company is perceived by its customers and suppliers as their own.

In the didactic- methodological observation plane, the junior company is regarded as an educational method in which trainees perceive most of the activities of a small company. Thus, the economic level of the company, the core element of Lehr-/Lernmethode dar. From the experience gained to learning effects can be achieved, where the trainees and operational supervisors make the learning environment jointly. An external scientific monitoring can in this case involved supportive. This theoretical approach is chosen, for example, in the literature of science.

The viewing plane of the corporate integration (Department) goes beyond the didactic- methodological level. The parent company implemented a junior company as a training tool. This is a part of the educational system of the parent company and is thus in an interaction to further training activities and responsibilities of the trainees. As an organizational unit of the company resulting company-specific framework for the junior company. It must be integrated into the economic and social system of the parent company. For these reasons, an appropriate integration into the parent company and the education system must be guaranteed. As such a part of the education of the parent company, the junior company is for example seen by the management, the works council and employees of the parent company.

The level of consideration of the environment ultimately is a complement of the other levels of observation. The parent company as an organizational framework of the junior company is affected by changes in the corporate environment. This thus represents the inter-company environment represents the corporate environment includes stakeholders such as the state, society, interest groups, customers, suppliers or science. The inter-company stakeholders other junior companies also can be counted, who can stand in a relationship of cooperation with the junior company. The internal environment encompasses all corporate stakeholders who are not involved in the organization of the company. Important influence groups represent this council, youth and trainee representatives, not involved trainees and skilled supervisors and senior management, departments and employees of the parent company corner shows interest groups take to varying degrees influence on the design of the company, both on the economic, educational and the corporate level impact.

Establishment of a student company

At the beginning, the aim and content of the future student company should be properly discussed. Subsequently, it is useful to create a business plan.

As a first step applies requesting consent of Schulträgers. Depending on the school law of the state, it is possible that the school authorities may authorize the School Director to approve the establishment of a student company. Then it is sufficient to inform the school authorities about the foundation. After the granting of the student company may be established by a school event or a school project to life. The school principal has the right to take further legally binding decisions. Example, it can enter into contracts or his powers a teacher wholly or partially transmitting.

Each participating student needs the permission of his guardian.

The designation is to ensure that the company name no brand name contains (or brand logos). Also on similar sounding names of local suppliers should be avoided. From the new name must be evident that it is a student company is (eg by ... S - AG; ... student -GmbH or ... student enterprises KG ).

At the foundation of the company, it is advisable to enter into a contract with the school, which governs the cooperation between the school and the company. Also, the completion of a student liability insurance is recommended, because any damages are thus secured. To simplify the payment, it is necessary to set up a separate bank account. It should also make the account name shows that it is an account of the student company.

Partial support regional cooperative unions The Formation of student cooperatives.

Generally, a student company must always act as such. Also, forms, receipts and stationery must not give the impression of a regular business. On the use of Terms and Conditions (GTC) can be omitted, as any claims and legal claims are governed by the Civil Code.