Global Enterprise Challenge - Primary School Sought

[Karin Whooley]

Hello everyone,

PDST Technology in Education is involved in a European project called Living Schools Lab. One of the British primary schools involved in that project is seeking an Irish primary school to participate in "a ground-breaking enterprise challenge developed and run by Broadclyst Community Primary School (BCPS) and funded by Microsoft." 

See information below from the Headteacher of Broadclyst  and http://globalenterprisechallenge.education/. Please contact the school directly if you are interested in participating in their project. 

Kind regards,

Karin Whooley

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Subject: Give your students a head start in business! Join the Global Enterprise Challenge.

Dear Colleague,

Are you looking for an exciting, real-world challenge for your students?  Our aim is to connect schools and children from across the world into one global education project, helping the students to increase their awareness of cultural diversities, and gain an understanding of business.  We would like 20 schools in 20 different countries to get involved with the project and we would love to have your school on board!

 

Broadclyst Primary School, England  has run a business enterprise project with its pupils aged 10 and 11 for eight years. We have found it hugely motivational for the children, and exciting for the teachers, the enterprise project incorporates business skills including product design, market research, manufacture and marketing and it encompasses many different elements of the curriculum, putting the children's learning into a real-life context.

Headteacher Jonathan Bishop took the Broadclyst enterprise project concept to a global level during the 2014 Microsoft in Education Global Forum. In a Dragon's Den style pitch against ideas from schools from around the world, he put forward the idea of taking the current project and making it into the Global Enterprise Challenge. This was the winning pitch, and BCPS was awarded $25,000 to make the Challenge a reality.

 

During the Challenge, 1000 students across 20 countries will connect to run ten international companies, each with ten regional offices/teams. Their start-up funding from the Microsoft award will be $50 (€40/£30) per team, $500 (€400/£300) per school. The teams, developing, producing and marketing ten products selected, in a pitch situation, by the project co-ordinator, will be competing with each other to become the most successful company globally.

The project is based entirely around the use of Office365 and no other platforms can be used. The platform can be used in browser format, allowing schools with a range of equipment to participate. All schools will be registered by Broadclyst Community Primary School into Office365 and each child within the challenge will have Office365 account that will give them access to Yammer, Email, Lync and Office software.  

 

The most successful company will be flown to Seattle to the Microsoft HQ to meet Anthony Salcito – the Vice President for Education World Wide. He will present the winning team out of the 200 teams with the award. Please find more information about the project from http://globalenterprisechallenge.education/ or email the project co-ordinator Chloe Farrant cfar...@bcps.org.uk if you have any questions. We would love to have you on board!

Best Wishes,

The GEC Team

Jonathan Bishop

Broadclyst Primary School

Exeter

EX5 3JG

01392 463873

07720 465645

http://www.bcps.org.uk