A program designed to encourage students to pursue an entrepreneurial career is in its third year and still going strong.
The TiE Young Entrepreneurs program (vancouver.tie.org) aims to entice high school students into a career in business by providing much needed skills and mentorship. Students from high schools all over the Lower Mainland are invited to participate.
Armaan Malhotra, TYE program co-ordinator, took the program in 2011 while he was in his final year at Sentinel secondary. "The TYE program is a platform that really emphasizes mentorship from local professionals and successful entrepreneurs," says Malhotra. "What it allows students to do is learn skills that you never get in classrooms but that are based upon foundations of high school business classes."
Malhotra is currently going into his second year of university with the hope of pursuing medicine. He says even though he is not pursuing a career in business, the skills he learned through the program, such as networking, are tools he still continues to use today.
"These skills have kind of changed every other aspect of my life, which is pretty invaluable," he says.
The program runs every Saturday from October to December and is made up of four components: business accelerator, idea incubator, venture challenge and the TYE Global Business Plan competition.
The business accelerator component combines classes with guest speakers who share stories on a business topic. The idea incubator has students forming groups to create business concepts. The venture challenge component then pits groups against one another to pitch their business concepts in front of a panel of judges. And the final component takes the winning team to an international competition to once again pitch their idea. The team representing Vancouver has won the last two competitions.
"I think the greatest part of this program is it's taught by people who are working in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland right now."
Students in grades nine through 12 can apply. The program costs $250, $200 of which is refundable if the student finishes the program.
