OCRI program expands business learning opportunity for local youth
Posted Jul 29, 2010 By Phil Ambroziak
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Tweet ThisEMC News - You're never too young to become involved in the world of business.
That's the message being promoted by the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation (OCRI) and the City of Ottawa, which recently announced that a new program, Building Business Basics, would be available this September to Grades 3 to 6 students from across the city. The program, which has been made possible through the financial contributions of the RBC Foundation, Accenture, Algonquin College and an anonymous donor, is an off-shoot of an existing program geared toward Grades 10 to 12 students known as JA Titan. Both programs will be delivered in the fall thanks to a strategic partnership between OCRI's Entrepreneurship Centre and Junior Achievement Canada.
"Junior Achievement is a national organization that we have obtained a license from to deliver these programs in Ottawa," explained Diana Martinez-Cachon, business advisor for youth entrepreneurship at the OCRI Entrepreneurship Centre. "It started here last year with JA Titan, which is a program that offers an online business simulation where students are in charge of their own 'company'. I set up the account for the teachers and the teachers take it from there."
JA Titan gives students high-level leadership experience without the high-stakes risks. More than 1,700 students participated in JA Titan last year. The recent announcement expands the reach of this program to 3,500 students in the Ottawa region and introduces the Building Business Basics program to 5,000 students.
"(With JA Titan), students take on a simulated company either individually or in teams," Ms. Martinez-Cachon continued. "Every decision one company makes will have an impact on the other companies. You (students) get to make decisions about production, investing, research and development pretty much everything."
Ms. Martinez-Cachon went on to state how far reaching the program could be in the classroom, depending on what part of the business world teachers choose to put a greater focus on.
"Teachers will decide what to address depending on the subject being taught," she said. "If it's a marketing class, the teacher may decide to look at how one company can help another company sell more. If it's an accounting class, maybe the teacher will have the students simply look at financial statements. There are several ways teachers can use this in-class program."
The Building Business Basics program provides younger students with a better understanding of the role that small business plays in Canada, having a positive impact on their community and identifying trends that inspire creativity and innovation. Unlike the online JA Titan program, however, this endeavour requires a little more than simply a computer in the classroom.
"In Grade 3, the program will primarily talk about how money works it's very basic," Ms. Martinez-Cachon said. "This program, however, will need volunteers. With JA Titan, students are online, so all they need is a computer. This one needs volunteers willing to spend at least four hours per week in the classroom. There is more material provided for this program, but teachers are going to need help implementing it."
Ms. Martinez-Cachon spoke to the importance of both programs by expressing how important it is to have a continuum of business programming in place for students who may decide to exercise their entrepreneurial options some time in the future.
"Hopefully something like this can be offered at all grade levels someday if students show enough interest in these programs," she said. "It is being offered to any school throughout the city because we want to show students there are other options out there. In school, there is traditionally not a lot of options related to business, but we feel there are very bright kids out there who are showing an interest in the business world. We just want to show them they have entrepreneurial options."
"We are extremely pleased to welcome our new partners and look forward to rolling out another valuable JA program here in Ottawa," said Stephen Daze, executive director of entrepreneurship and innovation at OCRI in a recent news release. "Now, we have an opportunity to show some of our youngest students that entrepreneurship is a viable career option. The success of any new program depends on community support. We look forward to expanding Titan and working with the elementary schools to make sure that Building Business Basics becomes a permanent fixture in Ottawa."
The news release went on to quote Dave Donaldson, the Algonquin College school of business' executive dean, who stated how proud his organization is to support these programs locally.
"Programs like JA Titan and Building Business Basics can help develop the core business essentials that are necessary for successful and creative business leaders of the future," he said. "It is important to provide an opportunity to stimulate young entrepreneurial minds and is a perfect fit with the programs in the school of business."
"Entrepreneurship is one of our city's greatest strengths," added Saad Bashir, manager of economic development with the City of Ottawa. "The creativity and ingenuity of our community has helped Ottawa become one of the most desirable cities in which to live, work and play. It should be our focus to nurture and grow the culture of business entrepreneurship and these junior achievement programs fulfill a very important role in the business and entrepreneurial education ecosystem in Ottawa."
For more information, visit www.entrepreneurship.com.
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