The 2nd Edition of the Regional Contest "IdeiAçores 2012" will be held at the University of the Azores from May 31 to June 1. The information was provided today at the auditorium of the Vila Franca do Campo Basic Education and Secondary School during a session attended by two hundred students.

Like the 1st edition, held last year, the Regional Contest "IdeiAçores 2012" is the culmination of the implementation of the programme "Entrepreneurial Education: The Path to Success" developed at regional schools.

According to the Regional Director for Youth, Bruno Pacheco, the "Entrepreneurship Education" programme registered "a comprehensive growth in the number of young students involved from the beginning of this school year," increasing from about a thousand students to nearly two thousands. "This is shows a significant growth," stressed the Regional Director.

Bruno Pacheco revealed that another innovative aspect of the programme "Entrepreneurial Education: The Path to Success" concerns the establishment of Entrepreneurship Clubs which "are a key factor in the system, ensuring the dynamics outside the classroom."

Integrated in the area of Citizenship Education, the "Entrepreneurial Education" is a project developed by the Regional Government, through the Regional Directorate for Youth and the Regional Directorate for Education and Training in partnership with the Entrepreneurship Centre of the University of the Azores. This initiative is intended to encourage and instil among students and teachers the entrepreneurial potential and the possibility of being able to control their future, allowing, in the long term, to create their own employment and simultaneously contribute to an active employment policy and the generation of wealth in the Region.

According to the Regional Director for Youth, the Regional Contest IdeiAçores "is the highlight of an educational process developed by teachers throughout the school year, which has increased visibility at this stage."

Moreover, "IdeiAçores" also aims to collect business ideas in different sectors that are developed according to the specific context of the Autonomous Region of the Azores with the purpose of raising the awareness of Azorean youngsters for entrepreneurial practices and encouraging their spirit of initiative.

The contest is divided into two phases: the first is a Local Contest (school) and the second is a Regional Competition (regional final).