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Guidance supporting Europe’s aspiring entrepreneurs
Policy and practice to harness future potential

identified only in Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Sweden (mostly linked to work
placements).

Example 4. Parents and mentor companies, Sweden

Parents of students in Fryxellska school in Västerås, Sweden were invited to encourage the
companies they worked for to become ‘mentor companies’ for a class at the school. Companies were
grouped to specific subjects according to the sector and markets involved. Students aged between 11
and 16 were engaged in the programme over several years which allowed students to see the
progression of projects within companies. Students worked alongside companies on their projects
which enabled students to have input into real problems and company activity.

3.1.3. Job shadowing
Job shadowing arrangements that involve self-employed individuals and other
business owners are another example of enterprise-oriented guidance. Job
shadowing is a good opportunity to gain exposure to new careers. In the context
of entrepreneurship, it gives students an insight into the working life of a leader,
which again helps them to become familiar with the processes involved in
running a company. In Luxembourg, such activity is available for the 50 highest
achieving students in the country. The Manager for a day is a one-day initiative in
Bulgaria where students get to spend a day working with a top manager of a
business, and experience the demands of daily business operations. In 2008,
over 220 state institutions and leading Bulgarian and international companies and
non-governmental organisations and over 1 000 high school students took part in
the initiative.

Example 5. Job shadowing, Norway

Through Norwegian young enterprise (www.ue.no), a job shadowing programme is run for students
aged between 14 and 15. The programme takes place in three stages. Initially students shadow a
working family member: this enables the student to gain an insight into the career of someone they
know, introducing the student to the working world in a familiar and less intimidating way. Second, the
student will shadow someone they do not know, to enable them to gain insight into a career they may
not have considered while also improving skills of communication. The final stage is for the student to
shadow an older student who has followed the study route that the student is considering. The hope
is that this will provide the student with an insight into what those studies may entail.
In addition to the job shadowing, the student undertakes assignments before and after each stage.
This ensures that the student considers the job to that they will be undertaking and encourages them to
think about the networks, competences, responsibilities that are required. Following completion of each
stage, these responses will be reconsidered, allowing the student to reflect on the activities undertaken
and the skills they may have learned. This may challenge their preconceived views of the jobs they
undertook and careers they explored, and encourage students to look past job titles and positions and
potentially consider new or entrepreneurial roles. Also, students who are able to shadow a self-
employed businessman/woman or a business owner get a real, direct chance to experience an
entrepreneurial career direction.

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