NEW RESEARCH | From controversy to the classroom – JA’s journey into Swedish schools

When the organization Ung Företagsamhet (JA) arrived in Sweden in 1980, it was met with suspicion and debate. Forty years later, JA is an integral part of the daily lives of many upper secondary school students – and is an example of best practice in international education policy documents. How did it happen?

– It’s a pretty fascinating journey. When JA was established in Sweden, it was seen as a controversial phenomenon with strong political divisions as a result. Today, they are an integral part of the school system and entrepreneurship is written into the curriculum, says Evelina Kallträsk at Lund University, who in her doctoral thesis in history studied the establishment of entrepreneurship in the Swedish school, with a particular focus on the organization Ung Företagsamhet (JA) as a knowledge actor.

The start in the eye of the storm

JA was introduced in Sweden by three private individuals who pursued the issue in their spare time. During a visit to the USA, they had come into contact with Junior Achievement, which could be said to be the equivalent of JA there. They soon received support from the then Swedish Employers’ Association (SAF). But the support placed JA in the middle of a charged time, where the battle over wage earner funds dominated the public debate.

– UF became embroiled in the major conflict between LO and SAF. They received quite a lot of media attention – not only for their activities in schools, but because they were seen as a politically controversial actor.

Despite resistance, JA spread quickly, often through teachers who saw the potential of the concept. In some places, however, progress was slow. In Västerbotten, politicians pushed through a local ban that stopped the activity for a decade.

The great expansion

It was during the 1990s that JA made the leap from a small initiative to a nationally established player. Expansion was rapid.

– In the 90s, the UF grew explosively. They became professionalized, got a franchise-like structure and built up regional offices across the country. This made the business more stable and less dependent on individual enthusiasts, says Evelina Kallträsk.

The state also began to provide support via the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (then NUTEK, now Tillväxtverket), which increased legitimacy. At the same time, extensive school reforms were underway: decentralization, increased market adaptation and an increasing emphasis on individual responsibility.

– There was a broad understanding that entrepreneurship was necessary for future growth. Schools were seen as an arena for nurturing enterprising individuals. Here, JA was right on time.

From leisure activities to curricular objectives

The JA model is based on students running their own businesses for an academic year – a form of learning by doing that attracted many economics teachers early on.

– Det var aldrig tänkt att bli en schemalagd skolaktivitet från början. UF var snarare en fritidsaktivitet. Men lärare såg att konceptet kunde användas i undervisningen, och det var där integrationen i skolan började, konstaterar Evelina Kallträsk.

From the turn of the millennium onwards, the link between entrepreneurship and education was further strengthened. National and international policy texts started to highlight JA as a model. When the EU Lisbon Strategy identified entrepreneurship as a key competence in the early 2000s, JA was given a central role in Sweden’s strategy for entrepreneurship in education.

– It is a bit surprising how often JA is actually mentioned in policy documents. They become a kind of symbol of how entrepreneurship can be practiced in schools.

A Swedish special position

Junior Achievement Worldwide, of which Young Enterprise is a part, is now present in over a hundred countries, but Sweden stands out. Here, the organization was established early and has become integrated into the school system, not least at upper secondary level.

– In many countries, JA is still a leisure activity. In Sweden, it became part of education. This is somewhat paradoxical, given Sweden’s strong social democratic tradition. But the economic crisis of the 1970s and 80s opened the door to new ideas – entrepreneurship education came to be seen as part of the solution, says Evelina Kallträsk.

And according to her, it is above all the teachers who have made JA’s journey possible.

– From the 1980s onwards, teachers have been crucial. They have chosen to bring JA into the classroom, purchased materials and driven the programs forward. Without them, the organization would never have become part of everyday school life.

The future – continued debate

Despite its strong position, entrepreneurship in schools is still controversial. The report of the curriculum inquiry, which came out this spring, proposes that the word entrepreneurship should be removed from the school curriculum, something UF strongly opposes.

– It shows that the issue is still contentious. Should entrepreneurship be part of all students’ education, or is it an area of interest for some? It is a debate that is not settled, says Evelina Kallträsk.

Contact evelina.kalltrask@hist.lu.se

More about the thesis
Evelina Kallträsk defends her thesis Educating Entrepreneurs: Young Enterprise and the Transformation of Swedish Schools 1980-2011 on September 26 at the Department of History, Lund University.