PMIEF (Project Management Institute Educational Foundation) Sponsors Best Application of Project Management Category at Awards


ISTANBUL, July 20, 2023 - The essential role that project management skills play in business was highlighted last week at the Gen-E event in Istanbul, Turkey, organized by JA Europe (Junior Achievement Europe), where teams from more than 43 countries gathered at the region's largest festival of young entrepreneurs.

Thousands of young entrepreneurs across Europe, either in secondary school or at university, participated in the event throughout the academic year by forming companies and developing products that were ready for sale or further development at the end of year. These companies were then put forward for judging by established figures in the industry, including Olivier Lazar, COO of PMIEF and VP of Social & Community Impact, PMI. A winner from each country was chosen, as were overall category winners, and the prizes were announced at a Gala Ceremony at the WOW Conference Centre, Istanbul, on Thursday, Jul 13.

In partnership with PMIEF, JA Europe presented the Best Application of Project Management Award to Sodehal from Slovakia, a team of five young men aged 17 and 18, who developed a virtual business card via an app to allow the easy and sustainable sharing of contact details.

Marcel Michaliak from Sodehal, said: "Project management skills are so important for young people to learn. It really helped us to develop and deliver our product, especially the time management and communication skills we learned. With these skills we were able to keep our plans on track and make sure everyone was working towards the same objective."

Olivier Lazar from PMIEF said: "It is such a privilege and honour to be part of an event like this. These young people are incredible and I am blown away by their skills and creativity. In ensuring we meet the difficult challenges our society faces it is more important now than ever that we can support and mentor such wonderful young people and provide them with the project management skills that will ensure their projects continue to be successful."

PMIEF has also partnered with JA Europe for a number of years to provide project management training to its team of skilled professionals. JA Worldwide has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 - the second nomination it has received.