• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Program Trains Students for Business World: Students at Ferguson High School Learn the Basics of Entrepreneurship Through the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship

Posted on: Sunday, 18 June 2006, 06:00 CDT

By Ani Martinez, The Miami Herald

Jun. 18--Students at Ferguson High School are getting a taste of Wall Street.

About 150 of them are enrolled in a summer program with the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), a 17-year-old New York-based group that teaches the basics of entrepreneurship to low-income students.

Some of the students already have big dreams of owning a business.

"This has expanded my mind how to start my business," said Jonathan Fajardo, 17, a junior who wants to start a computer and technology service. "Whatever I do, I want to be my own boss."

To learn the fundamentals of supply and demand, students from sophomore to senior year took part in a mock auction. Instead of trading stock in IBM, they bought Snickers, M&Ms and yellow onions with pretend green money. The average price for a packet of M&Ms: $35.

"They can relate with what the customer wants, especially when there isn't that much the price goes up," said Diane Wong, a design and architecture teacher at Ferguson. "By using tangible items, students can relate."

When they are not pretending to be business people, the students are surfing the Internet to do research, journaling, learn vocabulary or discover how products -- such as the hula-hoop -- were created.

"Rather than just reading a book and writing, they learn how things were invented and the process it went through," Wong said.

NFTE -- pronounced "nifty" -- offers programs in 18 countries, has worked with more than 120,000 students and trained more than 3,700 teachers. Three-hour weekly sessions on marketing and business plans are part of the curriculum.

Getting to school during the students' summer vacation is not as bad as it sounds.

"It is a sacrifice, but for the better," said Chris Argote, 16, going into junior year. 'I came here not knowing what the word 'entrepreneur' meant and now that's changed."

The students will compete July 10 at Macy's for cash prizes and awards. NFTE is looking for mentors and business leaders to serve on a panel.

Students are not the only ones with training. Teachers are hand-picked and are required to go through a three-day course at Florida Internation University.

"The teachers get credit and can take back what they learned into their schools," said Alice Horn, of NFTE South Florida.

Although the program is geared to business, David Poso, 17, a student going into senior year, sees its wider application.

"I don't have to take this class, but it is opening my horizons for my future," Poso said.

-----

Copyright (c) 2006, The Miami Herald

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

NYSE:IBM, NYSE:FD,

Source: The Miami Herald

More News in this Category