Students solve business problems

FORTY-NINE students from six Ballarat schools will take part in a Mindshop Excellence work experience program in August during Commerce Ballarat’s B31 Business Festival.

Groups of seven will be placed within seven Ballarat businesses for a week where the teams will work towards solving a real problem devised by the host business.

Julie Mason, Program Director at Mindshop Excellence said the week is designed to take the Year 10 students out of their comfort zone and into the world of business.

“On their first day we conduct a training day where our facilitators, who donate their time, will help them learn problem solving and business skills they will use throughout the week,” she said.

“Over the next four days they work on the particular problem building teamwork, life skills, solutions and confidence utilising their new skills with the facilitator on board to head them in the right direction.

“On Friday [16 August] each team presents its solution to members of the host businesses, schools and their parents.”

Ms Mason points out that the week long program is not a competition, there are no winners or losers.

“They all come out as stars with their chests puffed out with pride,” she said.

Andrew Wallace, Pathways Coordinator at Ballarat High School, has two teams participating in the program.

Mr Wallace said because the Mindshop Experience is a high level work experience program the school chooses the students very carefully.

“We make sure the students have some presentation skills and maturity, however we don’t want them all to be the school leaders, we choose the students who are up to the standard to work in the business and do themselves proud,” he said.

“The school chooses those students with a mix of talent and personality based on attitude, work ethic and interest in the program and not necessarily the best academic student in Year 10.”

From a career perspective Mr Wallace believes the students will appreciate job and business pathways are much broader, deeper and more complex than they realise.

“I want them to develop some career aspirations [from the program],” he said.

Ballarat Grammar uses a selection process where interested students who are passionate about solving problems and business can put their hand up said Kristy Ward, Career Adviser and teacher.

“We engage students who are excited about the opportunity and we get a lot of attention,” she said.

The school selects their team with a gender balance looking for students that have shown a spark or interest in this area.

“We want it to be good for them so we choose the ones who will benefit most from being engaged in the Mindshop Experience process,” Ms Ward said.

Ms Ward said research suggests that work experience is not only important for making good career decisions but also building employability skills.

“So, we have every student at the school in Year 10, except for Alpine Camp students, undertake work experience and then every student in Year 11 does it again,” she said.