Affärsgymnasiet Top Class in Young Enterprise
February 9, 2024
Research shows that individuals who ran a UF (Young Enterprise) business in high school are more likely to start their own business, earn better incomes, and have lower unemployment rates than others. This is particularly good news for students at Affärsgymnasiet. A review of results from 2012 to now highlights that these schools ranks at the top in Sweden when it comes to Young Enterprise. With a total of 10 national championships and over 200 awards, Affärsgymnasiet stands out in many areas.
Affärsgymnasiet focuses on entrepreneurship, economics, and trade as complements to academic preparation. The school’s main goal is to combine theoretical knowledge with real-world business experience. A key part of this is working with Young Enterprise, an area where these schools excel. Despite representing just 11 of the 631 schools in Sweden offering UF-business programs, since 2012, Affärsgymnasiet has achieved:
- Over 200 UF-related awards.
- 10 national championships in UF.
- Over 80 qualifications for the national finals.
Best UF School in Sweden
In recent years, Affärsgymnasiet has twice been named Sweden’s best UF school (Affärsgymnasiet Örebro 2021, Affärsgymnasiet Helsingborg 2018).
The school’s integration of entrepreneurship across subjects, its focus on personal development, and its networking with the business community are some of the aspects that have impressed competition juries the most. Göte Brunasso, named 2023’s best UF teacher in Örebro County, agrees that this holistic approach is the key to success:
– If someone wants to become an entrepreneur, this is the obvious choice. We have a three-year UF plan that starts on the first day of school. And the fact that many of our students continue in entrepreneurship after high school is proof that we take them as far as we can.
European Successes
In addition to their UF achievements, the school’s hard work in entrepreneurship has made waves across Europe. For example, Affärsgymnasiet won a European championship in Zalando’s innovation competition and has been named one of Europe’s top entrepreneurial schools.
Social Entrepreneurship
Beyond all the awards, Affärsgymnasiet’s UF students stand out in other ways. Not only do many continue their entrepreneurial journeys after high school, but many also reach great heights in social entrepreneurship.
In 2019, for instance, students Amanda Mattson and Lova Svensson were named Entrepreneurs of the Year in Örebro County. They founded Period Pack as a UF business and chose to continue with it. Today, it is Sweden’s leading company for menstrual product containers.
Another example is the UF business 4Change, which in 2020 was recognized for its idea of reducing food waste by donating food to the homeless.
Fact
About Ung Företagsamhet (Young Enterprise)
Ung Företagsamhet is a non-profit organization that has been educating Swedish high school students in entrepreneurship since the 1980s through the UF business program. Every year, the national finals in Young Enterprise are held, where only about 220 of the best businesses qualify to compete. To reach the finals, businesses must win at regional trade shows and competition days, where hundreds of companies and students participate.
UF Schools: 631
UF Regions: 24
UF Municipalities: 197
UF Students: 38 824
UF Businesses in Sweden: 12 396
(Source: Ung Företagsamhet)
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