Open Call for Teachers – Student Company Programme 2026/27

Junior Achievement Montenegro (JA Montenegro) has opened a call for secondary school teachers to implement the Student Company programme during the 2026/27 school year.

Student Company is an international entrepreneurship education programme for secondary school students, giving young people the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in starting and running their own company. Throughout the programme, students work with the support of a teacher-mentor to develop a business idea, form a team, create a product or service, and gain practical knowledge and skills in entrepreneurship, finance, marketing, sales and pitching their business idea.

The programme has been recognised by the European Commission as a best practice in entrepreneurship education and is included in Montenegro’s national competition system. Over the years, more than 2,500 students and 300 teachers from secondary schools across Montenegro have participated in the programme.

Who can participate?

The programme is designed for secondary school students in Montenegro aged 14–18. Each student company can consist of 3 to 5 students and at least one teacher-mentor.

At this stage of the call, applications are open to teachers who would like to mentor student companies. Teachers do not need to have a team or a business idea in place when applying. Following the selection process, participating teachers will have the opportunity to select their students and work with them to develop a business idea and establish their student company.

What can participants expect from the programme?

The programme will run throughout the 2026/27 school year and will include activities for students and teachers within their schools, mandatory training sessions, interactive workshops, guest lectures by experts, team meetings and opportunities to connect with representatives of the business community.

Each team will receive mentoring support as they develop their company, while the most successful teams will have the opportunity to take part in additional business mentoring during March and April.

The competition cycle will include regional Student Company competitions, with the top-performing teams advancing to the national competition, GEN-E Montenegro 2027. Students will also have opportunities to participate in additional initiatives and international activities, including Foodathon, GEN-E Virtual Expo and AI Hackathon. The winning team will represent Montenegro at GEN-E Europe 2027, Europe’s largest festival of youth entrepreneurship.

What does the programme year look like?

The programme begins with teacher applications and team formation during September and October. November, December and January will be dedicated to registering student companies, developing business ideas, training sessions, workshops, guest lectures and activities with representatives of the business community.

Regional competitions are planned for March and April 2027, while the GEN-E Montenegro 2027 national competition will take place in May. The winning team will then participate in GEN-E Europe 2027 in July.

Teacher applications

Teachers interested in becoming mentors can apply by completing the online application form. Applications are open from 15 September until 1 October 2026 at 23:59.

Following the selection process, selected teachers will receive further information on team formation, student company registration, programme materials, training sessions and other activities planned for the 2026/27 school year.

We invite secondary school teachers from across Montenegro to become part of our network of teacher-mentors and join us in giving a new generation of students the opportunity to learn through hands-on experience, develop their ideas, launch student companies, and gain skills and experience they can use well beyond the programme.

We look forward to welcoming a new generation of student companies!