Students join forces
Since this school year, several classes from the second and third grades of the Ensor Institute are joining forces. Through the Ensor2Work project, they will strengthen their entrepreneurial skills under the guidance of the project coordinator and subject teachers. Since the beginning of the school year, they have been making every effort to shape their own enterprises. For example, the students of Graphic Design developed a logo for the project, the students of Architectural and Interior Design furnished the premises, the students of Fashion Design and Sales designed a window display, and the students of Business Management used targeted communication and marketing techniques to boost sales.
For this matter, the students work together with local entrepreneurs. They sell the stock or a few articles of Ostend stores through their own company, located in the Jet Center. In this way, the students from the different study directions work together on a concrete project in the framework of their education.
Barbara Himpens, director of the Ensor Institute: "It is an opportunity for young people to gain experience and work together with existing entrepreneurs in Ostend. In this way, we want to enhance their entrepreneurial skills. The pupils work out the entire project from A to Z and have to work cross-class. The fact that this is a real implementation within their field of study ensures that they are well motivated from the start."
What is SPEED-You-UP?
The Ensor2Work project is part of the SPEED-You-UP project of the Ostend Economic House. The overall goal of SPEED-You-UP is to reduce the number of early school leavers and NEETS by improving their motivation and entrepreneurial skills. NEETs are young people who are not in employment or education or training. The project provides young people with a concrete case that they can work on themselves.
Charlotte Verkeyn, Alderman for Entrepreneurship: "The youngsters work together at a location/hub on a business idea. This project is part of the employment projects of Economic House to stimulate the entrepreneurial skills of young people and to prevent them from dropping out of school. The location in the Jet Center - which also houses the Economic House - is the perfect place for the Ensor Institute to start an entrepreneurial project with the students.
The Ensor Institute will provide a coordinator to coach the students. These personnel resources come from the European SPEED-You-UP project." Those who want to follow this' project can keep an eye on the social media channels of the Ensor Institute and the Ostend Economic House.
More information about SPEED-You-UP:
13 project partners from four countries are working together on this project. Besides the Ostend Economic House, the other project partners are: the city of Amiens, Centre Social Salengro (Armentières) and Association de Centres Sociaux de Wattrelos from France; Young Entrepreneurship and Foundation PRO WORK from the Netherlands; education center of the city of Ghent, and innercity cluster wellfare and Public Centre for Welfare (OCMW) Sint-Niklaas from Flanders; Plymouth Marjon University, WSX Entreprise, Digital Peninsula Network and Devon Mind from the United Kingdom. Arteveldehogeschool from Ghent is coordinating the project.
SPEED-You-UP is a social innovation project within the INTERREG 2 Seas program. The Ostend Economic House is a partner in the European project where € 399585.30 is provided for Ostend. The City of Ostend provides 40% co-financing.
