Businesses endorse students’ viable results

A WEEK in business can feel like a lifetime and for a special group of students it was an experience of a lifetime as well.

Active participants in the high-level work experience program Mindshop Experience, the young cohort spent last week problem solving for Ballarat businesses.

The aim of the program is to broaden their scope in career choices. Julie Mason, Mindshop Experience Program Director, said it is often difficult for an individual work experience student to be given responsibility.

“We designed this as a group project approach which benefits both the students and the host organisation,” she said.

The Year 10 students from six Ballarat schools researched, analysed, dissected, reassembled, discussed and allocated tasks to come up with a best solution for each of their business challenges.

They presented their findings on the final day of the program.

Mt Clear Secondary College’s group detailed their work at Mitchell Harris Wines to reduce its waste to zero and make the business plastic free.

“We paid thousands recently to have the business energy audited and we should have just asked these three girls to do it for us,” said John Harris, Mitchell Harris Wines co-owner.

Mercure Ballarat Hotel and Convention Centre tasked Ballarat High School students to come up with suggestions to reduce its waste removal costs.

The team calculated their results, a program for composters, cardboard compressors and green waste mulching, would reduce Mercure’s costs by 50 per cent.

Mercure’s maintenance manager said they were so impressed they had already implemented some of the suggestions less than three hours after the group’s presentation.

A proposal to replace disposal packaging with re-usable containers from the Phoenix P12 College team was met with enthusiasm and a commitment to a trial program by Dan Cronin owner of The Western Hotel and his supplier Sinclair Meats.

“The team opened up our minds with their scope response,” Mr Cronin said.

The highlight for the Phoenix group was a sense of achievement.

“It was knowing that we had done something that is going to work, we fixed it and we helped Dan,” Tyler Lenehan said.

“Simon from Sinclair Meats was also really excited. He wants to roll it out for his other wholesale customers.”