Due to the success of last year’s program, an expanded Junior Achievement (JA) Titan event will take place on April 18th at Robert Morris College in downtown Peoria from 8:30am to 2:30pm.
Nearly 20 corporate sponsors, headlined by OSF HealthCare, will stage JA Titan—an online business strategy competition for area high school students. National City will provide $5,000 in college scholarships for the top two teams.
Included in this event is the enshrinement of a laureate into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame. Nominations are currently being accepted at JuniorAchievement.biz.
2007 Laureate Jim Maloof gave a stirring message, including advice on taking risk, to more than 50 students during his acceptance speech last year. “My whole life has been one of Junior Achievement,” the former Peoria Mayor stated, “and I am very humbled to be inducted into JA’s Business Hall of Fame.”
The Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame began in 2004 and has become a catalyst for classroom growth of 250 percent in subsequent years. This year, Junior Achievement will reach over 12,000 students with its “economics of life” experience. A complete list of past laureates is available at JuniorAchievement.biz.
Having business icons impart knowledge to students who have gathered to compete in an entrepreneurial environment is right at home with Junior Achievement’s mission—to inspire and prepare youth to succeed in a global economy.
JA Titan is an Internet software game that allows students to compete against one another as CEOs of simulated companies. Players plan and execute each aspect of a business, including price, production, marketing, capital investment and research and development. Like any business today, the goal is to reach a balance of supply and demand at an efficient cost of production while competing with each other and other fictional companies in the industry. The software calculates each team’s performance index based on a weighted measurement of the company’s value and performance.
Last year, 16 teams competed for college scholarships, and this year, at least 24 teams will be allowed to participate. Corporate sponsorships are still available, and there is still time to nominate a Laureate at JuniorAchievement.biz. IBI