Professional Championship in Entrepreneurship: Eight teams qualified

75 teams registered for the selection competitions for the first Swiss Vocational Championship in Entrepreneurship in the various language regions of Switzerland. Around 150 young people from vocational education and training were able to demonstrate their entrepreneurial thinking and acting skills for one day.

Selected for the Professional Championship in Entrepreneurship

The participating teams were given a task at the beginning of the selection day. Within 4.5 hours, they had to develop a business idea that would contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 11 ("Sustainable Cities and Communities") or Sustainable Development Goal 12 ("Sustainable Consumption and Production") of the United Nations. During the preparations, they were supported by various coaches from the startup scene. On the afternoon of the selection days, the teams had five minutes to present their idea. A jury, depending on the location, consisting of well-known people such as National Councilor Andri Silberschmidt, Regula Buob or Mathieu Gigandet, selected the best teams with the help of evaluation criteria. A total of eight teams qualified for SwissSkills on the selection days: One in Ticino, two in St. Gallen, three in Bern and two in French-speaking Switzerland.

Ideas with potential

"I am overwhelmed by how many different young people have registered for EntrepreneurSkills," says Georg Berger, President of the Swiss Conference of Directors of Vocational Schools and Vice President of EntrepreneurSkills. The diversity on the selection days was great: whether carpenters, cooks, polymechanics or computer scientists - they all demonstrated their competence to think and act entrepreneurially. "There was an incredibly innovative and creative atmosphere at the selection days. It was great to see what the young talent from a wide range of professions was capable of," says Regula Buob, who professionally coaches highly innovative startups. She was one of the 18 coaches at the selection days.

Preparation in boot camps

National Councilor and entrepreneur Andri Silberschmidt was on the jury at the selection day in Bern. He is president of IG EntrepreneurSkills, which was founded last fall by the umbrella organization of UAS graduates, the Swiss Conference of Directors of Vocational Schools, Gründungsdienstleistungen Kanton Solothurn and the Institute Innovation & Strategic Entrepreneurship at the Department of Economics at Bern University of Applied Sciences: "I am impressed that so many ideas were presented that have potential on the market. That's what we want to promote," says Andri Silberschmidt. The eight qualified teams will be prepared for the four-day competition at SwissSkills during a boot camp in August. Only one team can become Swiss champion in entrepreneurship.

More information: https://www.entrepreneurskills.ch/de/