NEWS

WIRES

OTHER

Echo Boomer Teenagers Can Save Their Parents Thousands Over The College Clueless

A number of universities have been in the news recently, touting their new business programs for college students and graduates. The non-credit, four-week programs are essentially cram courses for non-business college majors. It appears that many students and recent grads have found having knowledge of business, and the business world, helps in getting a job.

Stanford University, Southern Methodist University, Vanderbilt University, Dartmouth College and Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, all have business camps for students. At Stanford the four-week tuition is $8,000. At SMU and Vanderbilt, parents can get by for $7,500. (At Miami University, students can earn nine credit hours in a six-week program.)

In a recent Associated Press article by David Koenig, entitled, "Business Boot Camp Boon for the Clueless," Mike Sicard, director of the Vanderbilt University program, shared comments he has received from frustrated employers who lamented, "even college graduates who know business theory lack problem-solving, teamwork and leadership skills. They can't figure out how to apply what they learned to a business situation."

Parents could have saved thousands had they sent their Echo Boomer children, when the kids were in high school, to one of the nineteen independent state business summer programs. The programs operate exclusively for high school students. Many of these teenage business boot camps have been around for over twenty-five years. (There are established high school business week summer programs in Ala., Alaska, Calif., Colo., Ind., Iowa, Minn., Mo., Mont., N.J., N.C., N.D., Pa., S.C., S.D., Utah, Wash., W.Va., Wis., and in Australia and New Zealand.)

"In Ohio, parents can send their high school teenagers to a week-long business boot camp, for only $160," says Nancy Whetstone, executive director of the Ohio Business Week Foundation. "That $160 is supplemented by scholarship donations of $450 per student from some very supportive Ohio businesses, individuals, charitable trusts, and service clubs. We receive no monies from government agencies," emphasizes Whetstone.

"Ohio Business Week (OBW) has been so well-received that we are adding a second week, MBA-type program. In fact, the kids can earn an MBA (Master Business Apprentice 'degree')," says Whetstone. "Many of the graduates wanted a second week where they could learn more skills that will be useful in college, career-building and, of course, the business world. During their first week at the OBW business boot camp, the kids work in 'companies' where they create a product and then put together a business plan. The business plan includes financial statements, a cash flow statement, a marketing plan and an advertising campaign. During the week, the students learn valuable team-building, leadership and problem-solving skills. At the end of the week, each company presents its business plan to a panel of business professionals who judge and critique the plan."

For more information about the Ohio Business Week program, visit www.OhioBusinessWeek.org, or call (888) 377-7414.