There’s an exciting opportunity for STI Senior High School’s Accountacy, Business, and Management (ABM) students this school year 2017-18! We have officially signed a partnership with Junior Achievement Philippines on May 11, 2017 at the STI Academic Center in Ortigas-Cainta.

The Junior Achievement Philippines, a member of international organization Junior Achievement Worldwide, is a non-profit group dedicated to educate young business minds about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship, and provide financial literacy through hands-on programs.

(From left) STI AVP for Academic Research, Aisa Hipolito and Krishna C. Alejandrino, Executive Director of JA Philippines

Learning the ropes

The collaboration will bring JA Philippines’ Business Skills Pass (BSP) program to select STI campuses for Grade 11 ABM students. The mentorship program trains students on how to operate a “mini-company” and the necessary steps involved in putting-up a business. These include capitalization, goal setting, election of the board, research and product development, manufacturing, marketing, and maintaining a financial record system, among others.

To guide and assist students with their business plans and its implementation, JA Philippines has certified business advisers who will serve as mentors. They will conduct business clinic, consultations, and seminars via online and face-to-face setup.

Taking a cue from business leaders

The program will also include a business simulation program handled by the retrained business teachers. As part of the partnership, JA Philippines’ industry partners will also hold a mini-MBA or Master of Business Administration-like training to update the educators. At the end of the program, students will undergo assessment and evaluation to gauge the learning outcomes.

“We prepare our students for the real world setting as early as Grade 11. Once they have finished Senior High School, they will experience the more challenging years of college where they will learn how to jumpstart their own businesses and successfully sustain them. As an academic institution, we aim for them to grow holistically and excel in their chosen fields, and to be prepared for those. This is why we see this partnership as another door of opportunity that opens for our students to discover and learn more about the world of corporate industry.”

The BSP program aims to encourage creativity, innovation, and teamwork among the students, and also to benchmark our students’ business planning competencies in the field, further motivating our institution’s pursuit for excellence in education.