Workshops for High School Students
Workshops for High School Students
This school year, GEA College will once again offer free, short entrepreneurial workshops for third-, fourth-, and fifth-year high school students. The workshops can be conducted in person at your school or remotely.
This year’s workshop selection includes:
- Entrepreneurship and Innovation
- How to Develop Your Business Idea?
- Am I a Critic or a Creator?
- From Idea to Investment: How to Secure Funding for Your Startup
- Crafting Your Entrepreneurial Story: The Power of Storytelling
- Build Your Future: Create a Successful Business Model with Canvas
- The Digital Trap: Seizing Opportunities, Overcoming Challenges
Workshops will be conducted at your school on a pre-arranged date. Each session lasts one school hour. To register and coordinate a date, please contact us using the details below. Secure your spot quickly!
Entrepreneurship and Innovation
This workshop explores the impact of entrepreneurship and how ideas, when executed by entrepreneurs, shape our reality. Participants will hear inspiring examples of businesses that have transformed lives, gaining insights into how entrepreneurship drives change. The discussion highlights how a single entrepreneur can generate more capital in a short time than some national budgets, emphasizing entrepreneurship as an invisible force influencing our lives—whether we realize it or not.
The workshop encourages active participation, engaging students in idea-sharing to ensure a productive and memorable experience.
A lecturer and researcher at GEA College – Faculty of Entrepreneurship in Ljubljana, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jeraj focuses on entrepreneurship, management, and organisational sciences. His research includes entrepreneurial curiosity, economic growth, unemployment, and sports development.
How to Develop Your Business Idea?
A well-developed business idea is essential for a successful entrepreneurial career. This workshop covers identifying business opportunities, industry analysis, defining mission, vision, and goals, understanding customer needs, highlighting competitive advantages, developing a marketing strategy, assessing revenues and costs for financial projections. The session includes real-world examples to enhance learning.
Asst. Prof. dr. Berginc, a specialist in management strategies, is a senior lecturer and project coordinator at GEA College. He has authored numerous publications in entrepreneurship and marketing, developed business plans, and led seminars and workshops on business planning and EU funding.
Am I a critic or a creator?
This workshop introduces critical and creative thinking techniques, helping students understand their differences and how to apply them effectively.
Key topics include:
- Creative vs. Critical Thinking: Core Concepts
- Practical Exercises to develop these skills
- Group Work: Applying techniques to real-world examples
- Reflection & Discussion
Nataša Makovec holds a Master of Science degree in Business Economics and has specialized in marketing. She has over 10 years of experience in the business sector, working in sales, advertising, and market research. She actively follows industry developments both theoretically and practically and is part of sales and marketing teams. She is a co-author of both a traditional and an e-textbook on marketing. Additionally, she is engaged in domestic and international projects related to education and e-learning. She works in the field of quality assurance in higher education and serves as an external expert for the NAKVIS agency. At GEA College – Faculty of Entrepreneurship, she is an appointed senior lecturer in marketing, a member of the senate, and the president of the Academic Assembly.
From Idea to Investment: How to Secure Funding for Your Startup
In this workshop, you will learn the key steps to securing funding for your startup. You will gain insights into how to effectively prepare a business plan, approach investors, and build a compelling investment narrative. You will understand the different types of financing available and how to prepare for negotiations and investor presentations.
- Business plan and strategy preparation
- Types of financing: from investors to loans
- How to effectively prepare a pitch for investors
- Strategies for networking with investors
- Negotiations and financing agreements
Mihael Leskovar holds a university degree in political science and has over 20 years of experience in regional development, entrepreneurial support environments, and mentoring and advising startups. He currently works as an entrepreneurial mentor at the GEA College Business Incubator, focusing on the development of business ideas, startup mentoring, and delivering entrepreneurship lectures. His key competencies include business model development, entrepreneurial consulting, project management, coaching, and fostering innovation. He is an active member of startup evaluation committees in Slovenia and abroad, participating in the assessment and mentoring of entrepreneurs.
Crafting Your Entrepreneurial Story: The Power of Storytelling
Participants will gain knowledge on how to develop and shape their entrepreneurial story. You will learn how to use storytelling to present your company, values, and vision in a way that captivates investors, customers, and partners. You will also learn how to effectively incorporate emotional components and a personal approach into building your brand.
- Introduction to storytelling in entrepreneurship
- Key elements of a powerful entrepreneurial story
- How to connect a company’s vision with its story
- The importance of a personal approach in storytelling
- Stories that captivate investors and customers
Mihael Leskovar holds a university degree in political science and has over 20 years of experience in regional development, entrepreneurial support environments, and mentoring and advising startups. He currently works as an entrepreneurial mentor at the GEA College Business Incubator, focusing on the development of business ideas, startup mentoring, and delivering entrepreneurship lectures. His key competencies include business model development, entrepreneurial consulting, project management, coaching, and fostering innovation. He is an active member of startup evaluation committees in Slovenia and abroad, participating in the assessment and mentoring of entrepreneurs.
Build Your Future: Create a Successful Business Model with Canvas
In this workshop, you will get familiar with the Business Model Canvas tool and learn how to use it to develop a successful business model. You will learn how to analyse key business elements, identify growth opportunities, and create a flexible and robust business model. This workshop will help you better understand how to align your business idea with the market and transform it into a sustainable business plan.
- Introduction to the Business Model Canvas
- Understanding the nine key elements of a business model
- How to develop a value proposition that stands out
- Identifying market opportunities and risks
- Creating a flexible business model
The Digital Trap: Seizing Opportunities, Overcoming Challenges
In this workshop, we will explore the advantages brought by digitalization and the use of new technological tools, including artificial intelligence, in our daily lives. We will also discuss the challenges of the digital age—from excessive technology use to the feeling of constant connectivity. We will examine the impact of digitalization on our health, leisure time, and relationships. Do we still have the right to digital disconnection? Are we overwhelmed by technology? Participants will actively engage with different perspectives on digitalization and seek solutions for a more balanced use of technology that improves quality of life and enhances our efficiency in everyday situations.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Laura Fink is involved in teaching the courses “Informatics for Entrepreneurs” and “Management and Leadership” at GEA College – Faculty of Entrepreneurship. She earned her doctorate from the Faculty of Economics in Ljubljana in 2017 with a dissertation on “Competence Heterogeneity in Teams and Project Success: The Case of Construction Teams.” Dr. Laura Fink has extensive practical experience, having worked as a project manager in the industry, as a consultant in a consulting firm, and as an advisor in adult education. She actively participates in scientific conferences and publishes research papers. Her research interests include business informatics, digitalization of business processes, competence development, management, project leadership, teamwork, business excellence, sustainability, and the design of educational programmes.
