Earlier this month, Mundaring Christian College’s Secondary campus in Parkerville became a hive of activity as the students participated in the Australian Business Week (ABW) program.
The program offered an exciting learning opportunity for Year 10 students, who participated in a real life business simulation running a multi-million dollar sporting goods manufacturing business.
Students competed in company groups against each other, learning about what it takes to become an entrepreneur.
“The quality of work they produced in teams was exceptional,” Mundaring Christian College principal, Rod McNeill, said.
Students were mentored by experienced business people from the local community, who provided advice in the running of their businesses and guided them through various processes involved in managing a successful company.
The role played by the mentors was vital in ensuring that the students are acutely aware of the intricacies involved in every facet of business, from financial decisions to marketing and day to day operations.
Mentors and speakers included Rob and Karen Dybeck owners of Mundaring Subway, Geoff Francis, President of the Mundaring Chamber of Commerce, Craig Anderson of doTERRA and Lyle Stewart from Deloitte, Australia.
Matthew Hughes MLA Kalamunda and Dani Tamati from The Resources Hub, Midland kindly judged and offered prizes.
“One of the most important lessons in life is deciding what you are good at, where you will enjoy working and understanding how to interact with other people to reach your goals,” Giles Creelman, SCEA Community Engagement Manager and Australian Business Week mentor, said.
To help unpack their progress, students took part in surveys before and after the program, and feedback from students demonstrated an immense increase in their understanding of the business world.
To a question about understanding of career choices, a student responded that “ABW has helped me understand more about my strengths and weaknesses in pursuing a certain career.”
Many students commented that they really enjoyed the challenge and professional setting.”
“Australian Business Week at MCC was a resounding success,” David Elsing, Director of Teaching and Learning at Mundaring Christian College, said.
“Students were challenged and rose to the occasion, showing character and resilience in their decision making and business practices. The survey results speak for themselves.”
Elsing added that “a significant number” of students now feel that they have an understanding of what it takes to run a successful business, and came away feeling more engaged in school.