Young Entrepreneur Learning Labs is pleased to announce Star of the Sea School as the first school in BC to pilot our new entrepreneurship program in-house. Thirty grade four students embarked on their entrepreneurial journey last week as they set out to start their own micro-businesses.
Over the 16 week program, the grade four students will learn valuable skills which closely align with the redesigned curriculum: Applied Skills, Designs and Technologies, Career Education, Language Arts, and Math. Students are guided through the process of starting a business while learning the start-up basics such as where business ideas come from, how to spot opportunities, prototyping and production, marketing, budgeting, goal setting, customer service skills and the art of selling. The program concludes with a Market Day where kids sell their products to family, friends and the public.
Star of the Sea principal Nicole Regush comments, “Entrepreneurial skills are closely aligned with the redesigned curriculum launched in September, which supports kids in developing important new thinking skills and preparing for the world that awaits beyond grade twelve.”
Last month, Glenn Leibowitz published an article on LinkedIn talking about the value of teaching entrepreneurship to kids at a young age. He says, “… even if they decide to take a job in a profession like law, medicine, or education, or if they opt for a career at a major corporation, having had the experience of starting a new venture –whether for profit or for social impact –will give them skills they can apply to whatever career path they take.”
He goes on to give some ideas of what schools could be doing to teach their students how to become entrepreneurs and suggests that schools make entrepreneurship an integral part of the curriculum. “Schools that understand the value of teaching entrepreneurial skills to students should offer courses as part of the school’s core curriculum. It’s a subject that can–and should–be taught just like any other subject, such as math, computer science, music, or art.”
We couldn’t agree more! Hats off to Star of the Sea School and Nicole Regush for deciding to pilot an exciting new program for their students, and one that goes hand in hand with BC’s new curriculum.
