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October 16, 2009
Alcoa employees teach young people how to set up and manage a company
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“Mini-company”, a professional training program, offers students form public and private high schools the opportunity to manage their own company
Many young people look for opportunities in the labor market very early on in life, but in some cases the dream of these adolescents may be postponed, among other factors, by the few job vacancies on offer or their own insufficient qualifications. But through a partnership between Alcoa and the Jardim Santa Cecília Local Residents’ Association, a not-for-profit entity that works with needy children and adolescents from the Jardim São Luís region in the south of São Paulo it was possible to start the Mini-company program of practical education in economics and business that was developed by Junior Achievement, an educational body formed in the United States that operates in Brazil under the name Empresários para o Futuro [Business People for the Future].
The 60-hour program spread over a 15 week period is given by volunteer professionals from different areas within Alcoa, such as Finance, Production, Marketing and Human Resources. Their mission is to give young people guidance in how to manage a company, from the time it is founded right through to the operating balance sheet. The adolescents are involved with creating the name of the company and choosing the product - which they then make and sell. Everything is carried out in an extremely professional way, including preparation of the business plan, cash flow, budgeting and a marketing campaign. “They get some important tips and ideas about the day-to-day activities of a company. They deal with the real issues of the business world, like payroll expenses, tax payment and other variables that exist in any company”, says Cassiano Barreiros, an institutional relations analyst with Alcoa.
In most cases students choose a low production cost product that is highly profitable. In the program this year, for example, they decided to produce printed T-shirts. On other occasions they have sold key-rings, hand-made candles, paper-blocks, mosaics, costume jewelry and other items. “Most of these young people have still had no type of professional opportunity. They come here looking for guidance and tips that can help them with their future. After the program, their attitudes and behavior change. It makes a difference in their lives”, says Monica Espadaro, a community projects’ analyst with Alcoa.
From theory to practice
Luiz Carlos dos Santos Filho, 24, was one of the first people to take part in the Mini-company program. The former student’s application and dedication were so outstanding that three years ago he was invited to be a consultant for a Mini-company student group. “The experience was so great that the student company created in that particular year (2006) carried on operating for some months after the end of the course. I’m proud to have collaborated with this work and delighted with the result that was achieved”, he says.
But Luiz’s entry to the world of entrepreneurship did not stop there. He decided to invest in his career and carry on in the same direction. He is now studying Social Communication at university and passing on his knowledge to young entrepreneurs.
For a year now he has been giving advice and guidance to some 70 members of a bakery project. His challenge is to show them how to obtain a vacancy in the labor market, by providing them with interview techniques and giving them tips on how to manage a business in this area. The lessons are given in the Rainha da Paz Association, a social integration institution located in Jardim Fim de Semana, a poor neighborhood in the south of São Paulo. “I’m trying to teach them what I learned back then. I know there’s an enormous entrepreneurial potential around here and there’s no way I couldn’t contribute in some way”, he concludes.
Example to be followed
Luiz’s story is an example of success that is always commented on in new Mini-company program groups. Someone intending to follow in the same footsteps is Judson Junior, 17, a student in this year’s program. “I like the lessons a lot. This course shows how real team work should be done and it gives us real notions of all the areas in a company. What we’re learning gives us guidance and might indicate an area we have some degree of affinity with and in which we can specialize in the future”, the student reports.
About Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement is a not-for-profit educational association that was set up in the United States in 1919, with the objective of introducing young people to entrepreneurship to while they were still at school. Currently the work of the association extends to more than 120 countries. In Brazil Junior Achievement operates in 27 states via partnerships with private initiative. The association’s projects have already benefited more than 1.6 million Brazilian children and young people. For more information visit www.juniorachievement.org.br
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