Citibank and Junior Achievement Teach 4500 Students How to Become Entrepreneurs

Citi Foundation, through Citibank Romania, supports with USD 50,000 a one-year in-school entrepreneurial education project

In times of economic crises, when new business models, particularly those leading to cost reductions, often emerge, it became even clearer that entrepreneurship is important for economic growth, productivity, innovation and employment. Hence, Citibank and Junior Achievement have partnered to launch a new an in-school educational program: Be Entrepreneurial, in order to initiate 4500 students aged 15-17 from high-schools across the country to entrepreneurial thinking as well as to encourage them to consider a business start-up later on.

With the support of teachers and Citibank volunteer-employees, the program will give students throughout the country the opportunity to better understand how an enterprise works, to gain basic skills to run a small business at the end of high school and to fit better in an economy driven by the triple bottom line approach: economic, ecological and socially conscious.

The program also includes a national business plan competition to stimulate students' competitiveness and competencies, in which students graduating the program will be able to take the Enterprise Driving License national assessment, developed by Junior Achievement Romania in partnership with the Ministry of Education.

"As globalization reshapes the international economic landscape and technological change creates greater demands to be met in the world economy, entrepreneurship is believed to offer ways to help to rise up to new economic, social and environmental challenges. Through this partnership with Junior Achievement, we seek to provide students in Romania with the knowledge, skills and motivation to encourage their entrepreneurial aspirations", declared Tibor Pandi, General Manager of Citibank Romania.

"It is a general strategy of all education systems to develop in schools, as early possible, innovation, creativity and enterprise spirit. "Be Entrepreneurial! "is preparing high school students for independent life and good careers. With this program, business community is a reliable partner and Citi a great investor and a model. I'm sure the results will come soon, for all", declared Ștefania E. Popp, Executive Director of Junior Achievement Romania.

All students and teachers enrolled in the program will receive for free the Be Entrepreneurial kit of materials consisting of the Student Manual, Teacher & Business Volunteer Guide and other auxiliary materials. The activities will be facilitated by Citibank volunteers, who will work with the students throughout the school year to make them understand better how to develop an entrepreneurial idea.