The Program aims to corporate’s culture, spirit of initiative and entrepreneurship. The European Recommendation identified these skills in one of the eight areas of competencies key to be implemented on 18th of December 2006 (2006/962/EC): learning to learn, spirit of initiative and entrepreneurship. Moreover, the promotion of entrepreneurial attitudes became one of the European Union's policy pri
orities at all educational levels when the Lisbon Council defined entrepreneurship as one of the new basic skills to be acquired. Students have the opportunity to create a company in a safe environment that uses the mini companies model recognized by the European Commission as "the best long-term strategy for the employability of young people." Students found a real company collecting the social capital, assuming official company’s roles (research and development, manufacturing, human resources, marketing, sales, administration and finance, etc.), creating real products or services. Students are responsible for all aspects of their corporate’s development and management. They must do the business plan of their activity, then they sell their products or services and they close the project with the winding up of the mini company at end of year. In addition, students have the possibility to participate to events in which they present their project judged by a qualified jury. The participation to Students Lab International Project gives to students a plus opportunity: they can establish a direct communication with laboratories created and born in another countries, they can exchange experiences and products supporting the internalization of mini companies. Didactic and soft skills purposes are:
- Gaining awareness of their own abilities
- Acquiring entrepreneurship’s culture
- Understanding and experimenting the European model of education-training
- Acquiring and developing soft skills (team working, problem solving, leadership, organization, etc.)
- Being part of the network: sharing experiences in local, national and international environments. Students Lab International was founded with the aim of involving students from different countries and continents and let them realize a common and unique project work. Students from different cultures meet and compare their mini companies promoting the intercultural exchange and adding a further value to their experience.