NYC
Virtual Enterprise Holds Local Business Plan Competitions
By
Iris Blanc
Winners
Advance To Citywide Competition
Now approaching its tenth anniversary in New York City public schools,
the Virtual Enterprises (VE) program represents a well-established
approach to teaching high school students about business
through task-oriented and hands-on applications. VE students,
with the guidance of a course instructor and businesses
mentors, oversee the operations of a company, enabling
them to learn about careers, develop interpersonal and
organizational skills, and use technology, as well as develop
an in-depth knowledge of one particular type of business. Students
are involved in every aspect of running a business, including
human resources, accounting, product development, production,
distribution, marketing and sales, and they engage in virtual
trading with other practice firms around the country and
around the world. With
links to nearly 3,000 firms around the world, the VE exposes
students to different cultures, business practices, and
currencies and gives students a broader international perspective.
The program
in New York City include sixty-three firms in 45 high schools
(with more in the planning stages) and has also expanded
throughout the United States to include programs in over
300 secondary and post-secondary institutions.
Each year,
the Virtual Enterprise Program holds a series of business
plan competitions at which students from each VE firm present
their business plans for the upcoming year. This
activity actualizes the world of work, allowing students
to apply communication skills, use technology, engage in
teamwork and apply economic and financial concepts as they
trade in the global marketplace.
This year,
over sixty-eight teams from New York City high schools competed
over five days, in venues throughout all five boroughs.
One can only
watch in amazement as these student teams, many of whom have
only been in VE for two months, present their plans to a
panel of judges, in front of an audience of their peers.
The following
are the results of the local competitions:
First-place winners will advance
to the citywide competition, which will be held on Thursday,
December 15th at Deloitte & Touche,
2 World Financial Center at 1:00 p.m. Eight additional teams who ranked highest in the city will
also be invited to participate in the citywide competition. First-, second-, and third-place winners
in the citywide competition will have an opportunity to participate
in the secondUS
Virtual Enterprise Network National Competition to
be held in New York City on April 5-6, 2006 and compete for
$25,000 in scholarships. (The national event is sponsored by a
grant from the Merrill Lynch Foundation.)
All the teams are to be commended for an extraordinary level of achievement. Congratulations to all!
Virtual Enterprises,
International is a program initiative of the New York City
Department of Education, Office of Teaching and Learning.
For more information about the program, visit the VE website
at www.veinternational.org or contact Iris
Blanc, Director, iblanc@nycboe.net.#
Iris Blanc
is Director of Virtual Enterprises, InternationalTM,
New York City Department of Education.
