Tim | Active Enterprise

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This idea links students with real world businesses to support their learning and eventually leads to valuable workplace connections.

The problem

Many students learn about Enterprise, Business Studies and Economics. We ask students to demonstrate 21st century skills which they do quite well, we try to measure their abilty to demonstrate competencies and learners qualities but when they finish their schooling they do not have any real world experience or connections to help them step into the business world on their own.

Students often have big ideas that get squashed by the need to work "their way up" and demonstrate a work ethic - all of which could be done through a quality "Links" programme.

The idea

Active Enterprise would ask schools and businesses (Local and Global) to register their interest in being connected with one another for the benefit of both parties.These would be stored on a website as profiles like a big education/business dating service.

For example, students in physical education may be organising a sporting event eg. a korfball tournament. By contacting a business this tournament could become authentic and the students would learn about sports marketing, branding etc. Students would be required to liase with the business to develop workable plans for implementation and may negotiate some direct funding to support their idea. In some cases businesses may employ or contract educators to provide services where the education sector do not have the expertise. eg. secondary schools  subject specialist may be contracted to work in primary schools.

Businesses would gain authentic links to communities and valuable marketing opportunities. They would also be able to demonstrate a commitment to learning and the community. Effectively this would create event marketing for a portion of the price.

Many curriculum areas can be applied to the real world and in doing so the 21st century skills demonstrated by students could be verified by actual businesses - making our school leavers far more credible.

What we need

A website developed to allow schools and workplaces to register and share partnership achievments

Some funding to employ a project manager/education liason person to make the idea happen

The support of a major organisation such as google to help facilitate connections with Ministry of Education iniatives.

Tags

education, 21st century learning, learners quality, education for enterprise, secondary futures, learners qualities, work place training, lifelong learning

Active Enterprise Links

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