Student Companies
JA Latvia Student Company Programme
The Student Company Programme (SMU) is an educational method designed especially for students in grades 4 to 12. It offers students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in creating and managing their own company, developing products, and offering them to potential customers.
The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia has recognized and recommends this educational method as a valuable tool for developing entrepreneurial skills in schools. Student companies do not have legal status — in Latvia, they are represented solely by JA Latvia, which holds the license for Junior Achievement Worldwide programmes. This license includes the Student Company Programme.
In the 2023/2024 academic year, more than 1,500 student companies were registered with JA Latvia.
About JA Latvia
JA Latvia is the largest educational organization in Latvia with public benefit status and is a leading expert in practical business education in Latvian schools. Since 1991, JA Latvia has been a member of both Junior Achievement Europe (1 of 37 members) and Junior Achievement Worldwide® (1 of 123 members). For its contribution to education, Junior Achievement Worldwide has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for the second time this year.
The European Commission has recognized JA Latvia as the only long-term and methodically structured positive initiative in Latvia that provides young people with entrepreneurial education.
Every year, JA Latvia makes available a range of Europe-tested and Latvia-adapted practical business education programmes to around 120,000 students across all education levels in Latvia:
- Financial Literacy ABC — teaching and methodological materials for the Social Studies subject (grades 1–9)
- Job Shadowing Day (ĒNU DIENA) — career education programme for grades 1–12
- Student Company Programme — for grades 4–12
- Leadership Programme — for grades 10–12
- HealthTech Programme — a pre-accelerator for university students, promoting innovation co-creation between medicine and technology sectors
- Teacher professional development programmes and educational conferences
The JA Latvia programmes were introduced in Aizkraukle Secondary School in the mid-1990s by teacher Arnis Rudiņš. In Koknese and Aizkraukle, teacher Egils Krēsliņš was also actively involved.
In the 2024/2025 academic year, there are four JA Latvia member schools in Aizkraukle Municipality:
- Aizkraukle Secondary School — five upper-secondary (high school) student companies this year
- A.Upīts Skrīveri Secondary School — four lower-secondary (basic school) student companies
- Pļaviņas Secondary School — three lower-secondary student companies
- Jaunjelgava Secondary School — one upper-secondary student company