16th International Practice Enterprise Trade Fair

On Thursday, December 7, 2023, over 300 students gathered to take part in the 16th International Pratice Enterprise Trade Fair, organised by Jonk Entrepreneuren Luxembourg. A total of 20 companies from 13 high schools were present at the Forum Geesseknäppchen.

The concept of the Practice Enterprises has been around since the 1950s, and has been implemented in many countries across a wide range of sectors (schools, vocational training, professional reintegration, etc.). In Luxembourg, the concept was introduced into the school curriculum as a compulsory course in 2006. Since then, the Practice Enterprises has been a course offered in the general secondary education – vocational training system – administrative and commercial division.

Nadia Battello, Director of Jonk Entrepreneuren, assures:

“The 16th Practice Enterprises Trade Fair was once again a great success, offering a day bursting with energy, enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit. The more than 300 young participants showed their creativity, courage and remarkable commitment. The results of their efforts and team spirit were clearly visible in the 20 practice enterprises visited during the day.

At the heart of this programme is a practical approach to learning, with an emphasis on concrete, pragmatic methodology. This method complements the traditional school framework, encouraging ‘learning by doing’.

Exchanges with the professional world also play an essential role in this programme, with sponsoring companies actively supporting the young people, jury members sharing their expertise and know-how, and a significant involvement of trainers, coaches and teachers. These enriching interactions make the programme a valuable experience for all participants.”

Understanding how a company works thanks to a fictitious market

The Practice Enterprises are fictitious companies integrated into a global network constituting a real parallel market enabling them to undertake commercial actions between themselves by simulating the real market as closely as possible.

The aim of the PE is to put into practice the theoretical knowledge acquired in other courses and to acquire an overview of how a company operates. Interaction between the various departments and with external bodies is thus promoted. PEs aim to prepare young people for the world of work through business practice.

The Practice Enterprises Trade Fair is organised once a year and gives PEs the opportunity to meet each other and create business alliances. A competition is also held, with the following prizes up for grabs: ‘Best dossier & catalogue’, ‘Best stand’, ‘Best customer service and commercial practice’, ‘Best presentation’ and finally the ‘Best Practice Enterprise of the 2023 fair’. There are also two optional prizes to be won: the “Innovation Prize” and the “Sustainable Development Prize”.

The jury

The jury, made up of 6 members – 3 representing the world of education and 3 representing the world of business – evaluated the Practice Enterprises in order to select the winners. For this edition of the Fair, Jonk Entrepreneuren was able to benefit from the expertise of the following jury members:

Blanche Lamesch – Chef de Service Promotion et Sensibilisation aux Métiers de la Chambre des Métiers
Carole Meyer – Division Innovation du Service National de la Jeunesse
Jean-Luc Bermes – Corporate Banking à la Spuerkeess
Laure Guyot – SDK Akademie
Sandy Neu – Enseignante au Centre pour le développement socio-émotionnel
Tom Emeringer – Enseignant au Lycée Aline Mayrisch

The winners

The prize for the best Practice Enterprise at the Fair and the prize for the best stand went to “Evergreen” from the Lycée du Nord in Wiltz.
The prize for best customer service and commercial practice went to “Spillwiss” from Lycée Technique de Lallange.
The prize for best presentation went to “Travel2Bee” from the Lycée Technique d’Ettelbruck.
The prize for the best dossier & catalogue went to “101Street” from the École Privée Marie-Consolatrice in Esch.
The Innovation prize went to “LX Sneakers” from the Lënster Lycée International School.
The Sustainable Development prize went to the ‘TMTT‘ team from the Lycée Technique de Bonnevoie.
In addition, an independent jury selected and awarded prizes to the five best salespeople at the fair from among the 311 participating students, using the “Mystery Shopping” method.

Photo galery