A collaborative WA-first Academy, coordinated by Â鶹ֱ²¥, is set to open its virtual doors to promote and ignite entrepreneurial skillsets and ambitions in young Western Australians from early education to high school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Officially launched today at West Tech Fest<\/a>, the Young Entrepreneurs Academy Western Australia (YEA WA) brings together key stakeholders in the entrepreneurial landscape to build a stronger culture of innovation in schools across Western Australia and build a more diverse economy within the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The YEA WA consortium includes Curtin, the Malka Foundation, Spacecubed, St Catherine\u2019s College, All Saints\u2019 Beyond Boundaries Institute and the Education Department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The project has received funding from Curtin, the Malka Foundation and Innovative Society Initiative, supported by Lotterywest and Spacecubed, and has been aided through the collaborative Meshpoints network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n YEA WA will be a focal point for the coordination and collaboration of entrepreneurial education in Western Australia. Key strategies include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Minister for Innovation and the Digital Economy, the Hon Stephen Dawson said finding new ways to encourage innovation is critical to building a dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem in WA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Cook Government is positioning the State as a global hub of invention, investment, innovation and impact, and this initiative will ensure our educators are at the forefront of teaching,\u201d Minister Dawson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis Academy promises to inspire a new generation of innovators to think outside the box to solve our challenges and will help create jobs for Western Australians in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Â鶹ֱ²¥ Director of Commercialisation Rohan McDougall said he was thrilled to announce Cameron Thorn as the inaugural Director of the Young Entrepreneurs Academy of Western Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYEA WA\u2019s overarching objective is to cultivate a generation of critical thinkers with essential problem-solving skills and a mindset geared for success, empowering them to confidently initiate and manage real-world businesses,\u201d Mr McDougall said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCameron\u2019s experience as a K-12 educator and within the tertiary sector, coupled with the support from Â鶹ֱ²¥, the Malka Foundation and our joint venture partners, positions the new Academy as a game-changer in the education system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n