The concept of entrepreneurship was being well-received and was no longer considered as something limited to a particular sector of society, or of interest only to persons in business, Edwin Vassallo, parliamentary secretary for small business and the self employed, told a meeting of representatives from Scoops, heads of school and teacher managers.

The Scoops (School Cooperatives) project has three main aims: to enhance cooperative awareness among students and educators; build entrepreneurship skills among students; and enhance students’ personal and social skills.

School Cooperatives can be set up by students in their schools, offering students the opportunity to learn all there is to know about cooperatives, how to set one up and how to make it a success.

Mr Vassallo said they would be working closely with Scoops to encourage even more students to participate in this and similar projects, and the aim was to see an increase of 30 per cent in the number of students who participate in Scoops this year.

This year, the Parliamentary Secretariat for Small Business and the Self Employed will be working together with Scoops to strengthen the entrepreneurial value of each student. This will be done by giving the students their first business experience and by encouraging them to provide the best possible products and services.

“Thanks to the cooperative experience,” Mr Vassallo said, “the students will be learning and understanding the following commercial values:

• The development of value added of every person in the country. This will be achieved if we have a continuous commitment on a personal level, as well as a collective commitment towards the improving of the quality of the product or service offered.

• More products that are varied and innovative. The students must try and come up with innovative ideas for their products in order to increase the variety of products available in the market.

• Increase in production. Each member will have a greater role in the production of the product and thus increase the market.

• The products and services available through Scoops should be viable, competitive and sustainable.

• The Scoops experience should be tailored to the needs of the members