Form Up impressed the FedEx Signature Award jury with their strong attention to social impact, financial performance and innovation and won the 27th FedEx Access Award.
Their card game based on the principle of interlocking geometric shapes in already available in several European countries and more than 1500 products were already sold.
More than 200 students gathered in Lucerne between July 25-28 to celebrate the top mini-companies from across Europe. Some 36 student teams competed as part of JA Europe’s flagship JA Company Programme, which gives them an opportunity to set up and run a real business.
Learning to run a company from top to bottom, JA Company Programme students create and market real products and services. The success of the programme is largely due to the wide support from business volunteers, who act as mentors, offering expert advice to the students. Partnerships between education and business are essential to closing the gap between classroom theory and real-world challenges. In the 2014-2015 school year, more than 313,000 students across 40 countries in Europe participated in the JA Company Programme.
“The Company Programme was a great learning process we started already in September at school. It was the first time for us to take part in a European competition. It was amazing to share this experience with peers, understanding our journey and ambitions. Our ambition is to establish a formal business and start increase our distribution abroad, firstly within Benelux and then globally,” said the entire team.
Initiated in 2007, the relationship between FedEx and JA Europe is based on the common objective to prepare JA Company Programme students for future success by helping them develop essential entrepreneurial skills and competencies. Thanks to FedEx business volunteers, young people are provided with specific qualifications, preparing them to get a job or start a business. The collaboration focuses more particularly on a specific angle: incorporating ‘access’ into young people’s core thinking, including knowledge about global trade, job creation, global development or environmental management.
“We are privileged to play an important role in the JA Europe Company of the Year Competition and we were extremely impressed to see the spirit of innovation shown by Europe’s young entrepreneurs”, said David Binks, president, FedEx Express Europe and CEO of TNT. “We would especially like to congratulate this year’s FedEx Access Award winner Form Up. The students from Belgium have successfully demonstrated how trade leads to employment and economic development helps communities flourish in sustainable ways. We strongly believe Form Up can help build the kinds of connections that can power the world.”
Caroline Jenner, CEO for JA Europe, said, “Global employers like FedEx are looking for entrepreneurial employees who thrive on challenge. Our partnership is about equipping young people with the skills they need to succeed in today’s fast-changing workplaces. We know we have the strongest impact when we start at a young age to bridge the gap between the real world and the classroom.”
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About JA Europe
JA Europe is Europe’s largest provider of education programmes for entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial literacy, reaching 3.2 million students in 39 countries in 2014. JA works with the education and business communities as well as governments to provide young people from primary school to university with experiences that build the skills and competences they will need to succeed in a global economy.
About FedEx Express
FedEx Express is the world’s largest express transportation company, providing fast and reliable delivery to more than 220 countries and territories. FedEx Express uses a global air-and-ground network to speed delivery of time-sensitive shipments, by a definite time and date with a money-back guarantee.
About FedEx Corp.
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $58 billion, the company offers integrated business applications through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world’s most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 400,000 team members to remain “absolutely, positively” focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. For more information, visit news.fedex.com.
For more information, please contact:
Mathilde Poncelet
JA Europe
+32 2 893 44 36
mathilde@jaeurope.org
Emma Boya
FedEx Express Europe
+44 7900709779
emma.boya@fedex.com