On the 2nd of July, the High-Level Policy Roundtable on AI in Education and Entrepreneurship brought together a diverse group of stakeholders including European and national policymakers, youth representatives, technology and business leaders exploring and advancing the integration of artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship education across Europe. The High-Level Policy Roundtable took part during the Gen-E 2025, Europe’s largest entrepreneurship festival, in Athens, with more than 300 participants.
The Policy Roundtable is part of the Erasmus+ Forward-Looking Cooperation Project “AIENTR4YOUTH: Blending AI and Entrepreneurship Education for Youth” funded by the European Commission. Through the project almost 700 students from Spain, Italy, and Portugal have participated in the AI and entrepreneurship programme, developing essential digital and entrepreneurial skills. 28 teachers were trained and are actively guiding students through the programme, helping to bring AI and entrepreneurial thinking into the classroom in a practical and impactful way.
Eva Maydell, MEP, opened the High-Level Policy Roundtable with a powerful message emphasizing the strategic importance of equipping youth with the skills needed for the digital age and highlighting the EU’s commitment to an AI-powered future.
During the first panel moderated by Salvatore Nigro, CEO of JA Europe on the topic “The Global Context and Europe’s Agenda to Upscale AI and Entrepreneurship in Education”, the discussion emphasized the need to accelerate AI and entrepreneurship education to bridge Europe’s skills gap, leverage AI’s potential in modernizing learning, and better align education with industry needs. The speakers, Mario Nava, Director General of the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion at European Commission, Asheesh Advani, President and CEO of JA Worldwide, Gillian Hinde, Global Corporate Social Responsibility Leader of EY, Nikos Christakis, Managing Director of HP, Greece and Cyprus and Giannis Markoulidakis, Director Research & Innovation of PPC S.A., highlighted the importance of integrating AI in entrepreneurship education, fostering innovation and preparing young people for the evolving world of work.
Mario Nava, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, emphasized the urgency: “We asked Cedefop to evaluate the impact of AI, and they found that over 60% of European workers will require additional training to cope with AI’s impact, either immediately or within the next year.”
The AI-ENTR4YOUTH project, funded by the European Commission, has been designed to bridge this gap with hands-on learning experience on AI and Entrepreneurship Education.
During the second panel discussion moderated by Diana Filip, Deputy CEO and Chief Development Officer, with the AIENTR4YOUTH consortium speakers, Luigi Pessina, Global Commercial Programs of Intel Corporation, Lucia Zavala, CEO of Junior Achievement España, Francesca Mazzieri Head of Education of JA Italia and Cátia Teixeira, Coordinator for Sustainability of Junior Achievement Portugal as well as Mario Roccaro, Programme Manager Education, EIT Food, the conversation focused on the developed AI curriculum, the teachers engagement, mentors contribution and the importance of supporting this ecosystem to prepare the youth for the future of work.
An inspiring session moderated by Diana Filip, Deputy CEO and Chief Development Officer with two inspiring AI-Driven student businesses took place during the High-Level Policy Roundtable. The founders from SeedSAP from Denmark, Gen-E Intel Innovation Award Winner, a start-up that improves germination and growth rates while reducing the reliance on fertilizers and pesticides and PulsePal from Albania, Code Week Digital Innovation Award Winner, a startup that tracks vital signs in real-time and sends data directly to healthcare providers, shared their entrepreneurial journey with the use of AI models addressing real word problems. Ajsel Budlla, a high school student from Albania, said; “Initially, building an AI model seemed unimaginable. But once you start working hands-on, you quickly realize it’s achievable, and the results make you proud.”
The High-Level Policy Roundtable highlighted a shared vision for the future of education in Europe—one that embraces innovation, inclusion, and collaboration. A key takeaway was the importance of investing in teacher training and support systems, ensuring educators feel confident and equipped to integrate AI and entrepreneurship into their classrooms. It is important to mainstream blended AI and entrepreneurship education across Europe, making it accessible to all learners. Finally, the discussions highlighted the urgent need to promote cross-sector collaboration for educational innovation, uniting policymakers, educators, businesses, and civil society.
About AI-ENTR4YOUTH Project
The “AI-ENTR4YOUTH; Blending AI and Entrepreneurship Education for Youth” project funded by the European Commission is coordinated by JA Europe. A consortium of 10 partners from research, large-enterprise, schools, and Junior Achievement organisations, aim to equip young people with the necessary skills to navigate the digital world and prepare them for the future of work. The project focuses on empowering youth with AI and entrepreneurial skills, highlighting inclusion, social entrepreneurship, ethics, and EU values and is piloting in Spain, Italy and Portugal. The AI-ENTR4YOUTH project is featured as one of the eight case studies by the World Economic Forum’s recent Shaping the Future of Learning report.
About DTTI Action in Food project
The DTTI Action in Food project aims to address the skills and innovation gaps in the Agri-Food sector by implementing a cutting-edge initiative aligned with the EIT Competency Framework and Deep Tech Talent Initiative (DTTI). This programme aims to equip 18,000 students aged 16-25 in VET, secondary schools and higher education institutions with essential skills, including AI, technology management, entrepreneurship, and problem-solving, across ten European countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Ukraine. The programme promotes inclusivity, offering students from underserved regions access to high-quality digital education and empowering them with the critical skills needed to thrive in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.
About JA Europe
JA Europe is the largest and leading organisation in Europe dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed. For over 100 years, JA Worldwide has delivered hands-on, experiential learning in entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial health. In the last school year, the JA Europe network in over 40 countries provided nearly 7 million learning experiences for youth in online, in person and blended formats, the organisation provided 95,581 teaching experiences and 86,533 volunteering and mentoring experiences. In 2025, JA Worldwide was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, the fourth nomination in four years.
For further information, please contact: Anna Demiri at JA Europe (annad@jaeurope.org)
