BGL BNP Paribas is organising the third edition of its Summer School on 14 to 25 July 2014. The event is open to 16- to 18-year-old high school students in Luxembourg.

As it has done every year since 2012, BGL BNP Paribas is offering some 30 students the chance to take part in an original project that encourages them to think proactively and “out of the box” about their future careers. The Summer School initiative seeks to forge two qualities in particular: entrepreneurship and the quest for excellence.

The students will spend two weeks meeting with innovative entrepreneurs, top-level sportspeople, committed charity organisations, and enthusiastic craftsmen – all of them standing apart through their original approaches and true passion for their work.

The programme is based on four pillars:

Daily topics stimulate the interest of the students in private-sector players, including new entrepreneurs and media, craftsmen and tradespeople, as well as those in the institutional sector, such as leading figures in research, diplomacy and social organisations.

Every morning, before focusing on the daily topic, the students attend “good to know” hands-on courses looking at key life skills such as public speaking, first aid and self-defence. In an original touch, these classes are all developed by employees of the BNP Paribas group in Luxembourg.

The third pillar of the Summer School is the individual support provided to the students by a guidance counsellor. Students take the Cambridge Euroquest occupational test on the first day and then discuss their results individually to help them in their future career choices.

And last but not least, a further Summer School focus is the integration of different nationalities and cultures through sports activities designed to encourage team building. 

Commenting, Karin Schintgen, Head of Social Responsibility & External Relations at BGL BNP Paribas, said: “The Summer School is part of lux future lab, an innovative BGL BNP Paribas project. The future lab features two platforms, one entrepreneurial (a company incubator) and the other educational, aimed at encouraging individuals at a crossroads in their professional lives – students, start-uppers and professionals – to attend training, develop entrepreneurial ideas and interact. The Summer School targets young people having reached a crucial point in their development. The objective is simple: inspire them to play a proactive role in their future by opening up new perspectives and showing them what entrepreneurship is about. Above all, we want to pass on a message: like what you do and do it well!” 

2014 Summer School online registration is open through 31 May 2014 on the website of the lux future lab (www.luxfuturelab.lu).