Most of what children do in school stays inside school. The work they produce is seen by a teacher, graded, and filed away. It rarely reaches anyone beyond the classroom walls.
Company Challenges change that.
Partner companies bring a genuine problem they are facing right now. Not a case study from a textbook. Not a simulation. A real challenge that matters to them, that they have not fully solved, and that could benefit from fresh thinking.
Children across the NextGen network take it on as part of their learning. They research, discuss, create, and return structured input that the company actually receives and uses.
How it works
A company submits a challenge. It could be about sustainability, communication, product design, community engagement, or any number of real issues they are working through.
Before it reaches a single student, every challenge is reviewed and shaped by curriculum specialists. They make sure it is age-appropriate, educationally valuable, and connected to the learning framework. Companies, teachers, and learners co-design the process together.
Children then work on the challenge in teams, often across borders with peers from other European schools. They apply what they are learning in the Learning Journeys. They think critically, create collaboratively, and present their ideas in a structured format.
The company receives the output. Not as a favour. As genuinely useful input from people who see the world differently than anyone in their organisation.
Why companies participate
Companies do not come to NextGen for marketing or brand visibility. They come because young people think differently. They notice things that experienced professionals have stopped seeing. And when given a real problem and the right structure, children produce work that is surprisingly sharp, creative, and honest.
Every company enters as a learner, not a sponsor.
Why this matters for the programme
This layer is what makes NextGen structurally different from most education initiatives. It creates a living connection between schools and the working world. Children see that their thinking has real value today, not just someday after they graduate.
It is also the model that sustains NextGen beyond any single funding period. Company Challenges create a public-private partnership that is built into how the programme works, not added on top. That is what makes the whole thing durable.
Be part of the first wave
We are forming partner schools and country partners now, ahead of the 2026 Erasmus+ submission. Whether you are a school, funder, or education organisation, there is a role for you.