business backgrounder | education & workforce
The Business of Learning
Washington Business Week has long been a life-changing
entrepreneurship experience for teens. It is now becoming an
equally valuable leadership training program for its adult volunteers.
Brian Mittge
Washington Business Week is becoming a two-way training ground. Students learn
and practice entrepreneurship skills. Their adult mentors also receive valuable leadership training as they help give the younger generation a lesson in business.
As Washington Business Week moves toward its 40th
anniversary, it’s creating new directions of focus
and opportunity for its students and the adults who
mentor them.
The youth entrepreneurship program that began
in the 1970s with the help of AWB not only continues
to offer high school students real-world business
experience, but is now also emphasizing that its
— Alex Abplanalp, marketing and communications
summer camps at university campuses help prepare
manager for Washington Business Week
teens for higher education by offering two college
credits from Edmonds Community College at no
extra cost.
“For incoming high school seniors, those first two college credits — and being surrounded by adult mentors showing
them what their future could look like — really puts college into reach,” said Steve McGraw, executive director of
Washington Business Week.
“That’s the groundbreaking moment for many students, where they see college
not only as an option, but as something they can actually do, they can take
at a glance
advantage of that. We’ve put them on that path,” he said.
The program is also newly expanding its training and leadership development
About 700 high school students
offerings for the many adults who volunteer their time as mentors, judges and
participated in Washington Business
company advisors.
“We’re helping them put into practice leadership skills in the programs,”
Week’s summer camps this year.
said Alex Abplanalp, marketing and communications manager for Washington
The weeklong camps are held
Business Week. “They can take that learning back to the workplace, so not only
throughout the summer at
do they leave inspired, but they leave with tools to move up the chain at work.”
Western Washington University,
For years, Abplanalp said, companies have been telling Washington Business
Central Washington University,
Week anecdotally that volunteering is a great professional opportunity for their
Gonaza University and
employees.
Pacific Lutheran University.
Stan McNaughton, CEO of PEMCO Insurance, definitely sees it that way.
“Leaders recognize that Washington Business Week is a unique opportunity
to have a virtual leadership laboratory,” McNaughton said. “One can practice
“We’re helping them put into practice leadership skills in the programs. They can take that
learning back to the workplace, so not only do
they leave inspired, but they leave with tools
to move up the chain at work.”
40 association of washington business