YE students struggling to keep up with studies

Young Enterprise is teaching sixth formers invaluable lessons that can't be learned in the classroom, but for some the strain of running their own companies is not doing much for their grades.

Students who take part in the scheme, which aims to promote entrepreneurial skills, often struggle to keep up with their studies. Over the years a few are even known to have failed their first year of sixth form because they have dedicated too much time to their business venture instead of to their academic work.

This year, 18 teams comprising some 320 students from various sixth forms and other post-secondary institutions took part in the local Young Enterprise competition, which is organised in some 20 European countries.

YE seeks to foster an understanding of the world of work through 'learning by doing', supported by volunteers from the business community. It also helps participants build personal skills and character, and awards them with a certificate that enhances their cv.

However, some YE students, especially those motivated enough to become company directors and take on major responsibilities, find it hard to cope with their parallel commitments, to their enterprise and to their studies.

Being a director involves attending training seminars and company meetings, working on production, preparing reports, solving day-to-day problems and everything else that it takes to organise a business. There is also a "Take Off" weekend and national trade fair to attend, and for the better teams, a European trade fair, national finals and the European finals.

"I loved the whole experience and have absolutely no regrets about taking part, but I would have done better in the exams had I not done so. I had to kill myself so I wouldn't just scrape through," admitted Chiara Hyzler, the personnel manager for Touch Wood, a team from Junior College which came in third at this year's national competition.

"YE became everything and took my mind off my studies, although I knew very well what I was going in for at the beginning.

"It affects your health too. It would get to the point where I considered giving up, because I wanted to pass the exams. But then I would calm down and say to myself that I didn't want to miss this great opportunity."

Chiara's friend, Kristina Vassallo, the quality controller of another award-winning Junior College team a-Maze, said she didn't think her grades were affected by her YE work, although this may have been because the exams this year came a month earlier than usual and gave her time to prepare for the finals in June.

But she still felt that "we get too much work. It's a bit over the limit."

Kristina calculated that students in the position of director - who usually consist of about half the team - spend about two or three hours a day on company duties throughout the school year.

"I was working till one in the morning when I had my quality report to finalise. I had to give up ballet and it disrupted my studying. There is a lot of high pressure, especially before the fair. I've known directors to break down crying under the pressure."

However, part of the value of the YE experience for these two bright and articulate girls seemed to lie precisely in the need to find ways to cope.

Chiara said that when things became critical and some members were on the verge of dropping out, Touch Wood decided to split into three teams, giving each team a week off in every three to focus completely on studying. A-Maze realised they needed to delegate more, and did so according to the various members' timetables, said Kristina.

And in the end, both felt the experience of YE, besides being enormous fun, was irreplaceable - "more valuable than getting straight As...and finals night was one of the best nights of our lives."

"YE has taught me time management and communication skills, given me more confidence in myself and pride in my work. I've made very good friends and learnt a lot about people," gushed Kristina.

Chiara said: "I've learnt a lot more about myself, and I've watched other people change and mature with the experience. We had to realise that it's not a game, that we're being treated as adults now. We learnt how to work under pressure.

"We're at the stage between adulthood and a 17-year-old who just wants to have fun. Some of us chose to mature..."

Maturity and time management - or the lack of them - appear to lie at the very heart of the issue. Chiara did decently in her exams, instead of just 'scraping through', because she was mature enough to prioritise studying when it counted, aided by a time management system that her team put into place.

Claire Bugeja, the CEO of Young Enterprise Malta, the organisation that runs the scheme, admitted that it was sometimes difficult for YE participants to cope with their studies, especially for the more ambitious ones who want to do well, but she didn't think the problem was "that widespread". "Some parents do complain that their children are always at YE," she said.

"Some students also waste their time there, rather than being dedicated. Sometimes the work falls on a few people within the company, or the directors don't delegate enough, or their product is not a feasible one for a small company.

"But in the end it all depends on the student. Some don't do so well, but the majority pass. It depends on the extent to which students are committed to their studies and are mature enough to plan their time. Young Enterprise should be no reason to fail, so long as they manage their time and activities properly."

Asked what the organisation does to support students in this issue, she said: "The programme is designed to complement studies rather than disrupt them.

"YE is an important time management exercise. We try to get as many students as possible to attend time management training at the beginning of the year, and we ask them to share their knowledge with the other team members. We also try to help them manage their time better through their adviser, for example not to hold meetings that last three hours."

She also pointed to YE guidelines which are issued as the start of every year: "If for some reason or another, parents feel that their son or daughter is facing difficulties due to their participation in YE, they should feel free to discuss such circumstances with members of the YE Office. YE will investigate the matter immediately. Advisers and Link Teachers should be alert for such circumstances."

"Unfortunately, we're often the last to find out when students are falling back, but it's not the first time that I have got in touch with a Young Enterprise link teacher when I find that some student is wasting time, said Ms Bugeja."

Elaine Camilleri, who works at the Junior Lyceum, is one such link teacher. She keeps a close eye on the students to make sure they are "where they should be academically, otherwise they may end up failing their tests".

"If by the second test they do badly again, I may recommend that they leave the team or shed some of their responsibilities."

She said that although over the years there have been students who have failed their end-of-year exams because of Young Enterprise, and have had to repeat the year, they have been "very few and far between".

"YE gives students a unique experience, part of which is having to manage their time. The experience could help them find a balance between work and family life more easily when they become adults," she said.

When asked if he found it difficult to cope with his studies, Luke Frendo, the managing director of Networks, this year's national champions and Malta's representative at the European finals, said he had other commitments to cope with this year too, including private lessons.

"The directors find it hardest to cope. Not everyone did as well as they wanted to in their exams, although some might use YE as an excuse. It depends very much on the person. It does entail spending nights up and not going to sleep. It was tough at times.

"I did manage to pass my exams, although I could have done better. But in life you have to learn to juggle with a million things, and I expect that's what it's going to be like at university."

One secondary school counsellor, who preferred not to be named, said he feared YE was becoming too competitive and that participants were being pushed too far.

"I know of students who have done well at SEC level, only to repeat the first year of sixth form.

"Make no mistake, YE is a great experience that teaches them a lot of things. But has it got out of hand? Shouldn't the students be monitored more closely?"