|  The School Economic Education Program (SEE) student-team from Zangi Lyceum in Baku triumphed at the prestigious Hewlett Packard Global Business Challenge by becoming the Third among more than 1,000 teams from 68 nations. The successful team competed in the contest's finals, held in Cupertino, California on August 14-19, 2006, with eight teams from Ukraine, Russia, Estonia, Canada, and China.
The School Economic Education Program (SEE) is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Junior Achievement Azerbaijan. Since 2000, with the funding from USAID and the sponsors from private businesses, Junior Achievement Azerbaijan provides more than 150 Azerbaijani students annually with an excellent opportunity to examine their economic and business decision-making skills at the Hewlett Packard Global Business Challenge. The competition is conducted by Junior Achievement Worldwide and sponsored by Hewlett Packard Corporation.
 Beginning February 2006, thirty SEE teams, instructed by their trainers, entered the virtual world of business simulation along with hundreds of teams from around the world. After five months of intense competition, during which the participants made decisions on product price, production, marketing, investment, and research and development based on given market scenarios, twenty-one SEE teams advanced to the contest's semifinals and one to the finals. An additional honor for JA Azerbaijan programs serves the fact that JAA alumnus trained the student-team from Estonia, which also progressed to the finals and won the Fourth place.
To acknowledge these achievements Junior Achievement Azerbaijan hosted an event attended by US Embassy, USAID, and Azerbaijan Republic Ministry of Education officials, JA Azerbaijan Board of Directors and media representatives on July 25. Speaking at the event, JAA Board Member, Mr. Daniel Matthews, Baker & McKenzie, noted "JAA students' and alumni successes demonstrate the results of Junior Achievement efforts to improve economic and business education and to raise future workforce for businesses working in Azerbaijan."
 In the upcoming 2006-2007 academic year, JA Azerbaijan with the funding from USAID and private donors will continue supporting SEE student-teams to participate in the Hewlett Packard Global Business Challenge. If you or your company would like to support HPGBC competition participants or your schools is a part of SEE school-network and you would like to participate in the competition, please, contact Junior Achievement Azerbaijan office for more detailed information.
See USAID highlights at the link below:
http://www.usaid.gov/locations/europe_eurasia/press/success/2007-04-02.html |
Junior Achievement provides teachers, and schools with concrete programmes, and allows students to learn how to put theory into practice and to understand what entrepreneurship is about. In this way students gain self-confidence and motivation, become proactive and learn how to work in a team. This is an important investment in Europe's future.