Teen Entrepreneurs Compete Locally

An interesting article in the Morning Call (read it here) regarding a competition for teens to pitch a business plan and win a cash prize.

Among the students who competed were a team from Nazareth comprised of Jason Heckler, Dean Durback, Andrew Spina, Chris Zerfass and Michael Biancamano. Instead of having a bricks and mortar detailing business that drew people in, their idea was to take detailing to the customer - at work, at home, where ever.

According to the article:

The contest was sponsored by the Charter Partners Foundation, which was formed in 2001 by the Welch family to provide real-life business experience to teens. Last week, 15 seniors from seven area high schools participated in a program called ''A Week in the Life of an Entrepreneur'' at the foundation's 43-acre farm. More than 30 educators, local entrepreneurs and successful small business owners served as volunteer speakers, mentors and coaches.

While this type of learning can't replace the fundamental skills that are taught in school, it is a great way to demonstrate how these skills translate to the workplace. Bringing students from different schools together as well as 'faculty' from a diverse range of experiences only increases the value of the program.