Northern Tier Business Adventure to Prepare Students for Careers

High-school students from five counties can learn about the workings of the free-enterprise system and prepare themselves for successful business careers by attending the Northern Tier Business Adventure on April 12-15 at Pennsylvania College of Technology's North Campus near Wellsboro.

Ninth- and 10th-graders from public and parochial schools in Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga and Wyoming counties are eligible to participate in the residential program, which is modeled after the award-winning Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week initiative. The Foundation for Free Enterprise Education is partnering with the high schools, area businesses and Penn College to offer the inaugural program.

In NTBA, students will enjoy hands-on opportunities to create and operate businesses from the ground up, learn about exciting career opportunities in their own back yard and acquire lifelong skills in a fun-filled, team-oriented environment.

Teams of students will be responsible for guiding their companies through computer-simulated business cycles. They'll also hear business and motivational speakers, work on advertising campaigns, and socialize with other students. Each student-run company will have a local business representative as its mentor.

Applications for the Northern Tier Business Adventure are available, for eligible students, through the participating schools or the Technology Transfer Center at Penn College. Scholarships will be provided for all participants and will cover the cost of meals, overnight accommodations, conference materials and transportation during the program. The only cost for each student is a nonrefundable $50 registration fee.

Students will stay at the Penn Wells Hotel, Wellsboro, and will use the classrooms and facilities at Penn College's North Campus. Business representatives from the participating communities will act as volunteer advisers and chaperones, assisting regular staff members.

NTBA coordinator Candace S. Baran, project manager for the Technology Transfer Center, said goals of the program include helping to foster a positive perception of the Northern Tier region and encouraging students to stay in the area to pursue their careers. Participants will also learn to appreciate the pressures of competition, the importance of teamwork, and the need for quality and excellence in the workplace.

Funding for the NTBA is being provided, in part, by a "Stay Invent the Future" grant from the state Department of Community and Economic Development.

For more information about the Northern Tier Business Adventure, call the TTC at Penn College at (570) 327-4775, or send e-mail.