Next month hundreds of medium-sized parcels will land with a learned thud on the desks of business teachers in second-level schools across the country. They may look innocuous but teachers should be ready: The Irish Times Business 2000 project is set to change forever the way business is taught in Irish schools.
This is no idle claim. Similar projects are already up and running elsewhere with phenomenal results. In Britain a sister scheme, Times 100, is in its third year and has been given an enthusiastic thumbs up by the Prime Minister, Tony Blair - he described it as "a fascinating read" which would "stimulate young people's interest in business."
As with all the best ideas The Irish Times Business 2000 is a simple concept. It comprises several complementary strands which are woven together to achieve the ambitious task of dramatically improving business standards in Irish schools as we work towards the Millennium.
The resource pack centres around the Business Studies of 32 leading Irish and international companies. These business studies tell the topical stories of organisations such as Aer Rianta, Telecom Eireann, Iarnrod Eireann, CERT, Analog, Penneys, Allied Irish Bank and Bank of Ireland. Colourfully laid out and laminated, each business study has been compiled by experienced business teachers or journalists and approved both by a special editorial board and participating companies.
Within each case study the everyday activities of the successful firm are explored. This is real life business, where topics normally confined to theoretical classes are covered in a practical sense. Included in each case study are tasks and activities for students to complete.
The durable documents can be photocopied and handed out to the class or simply displayed on the wall or held in the A3 ring binder in which they are delivered to schools. The flexibility of the business study material means that it is the teacher who dictates the most effective way the resource is used in the classroom.
A separate part of the pack contains a of company profiles, business studies and project work for students, as well as Internet access to The Irish Times . Also included is a
Curriculum Matrix illustrating exactly how each case study links in with specific curriculum topics.
A comprehensive Teacher's Guide on how the resource can be most efficiently used is provided ensuring that the project's potential is exploited to the full. Any problems encountered can be sorted out by a quick call to the project's Teacher's Support Desk.
As part of the project Cliff Taylor, Business Editor of The Irish Times
has compiled the Business News Guide , a tool which will prove essential to students as they attempt to navigate their way around the choppy business waters. In addition to offering relevant advice on how the business section of newspapers can most profitably be read, it contains a glossary of business terms and phrases which will help students relate to the business studies in depth.
Each Monday the Business pages of The Irish Times will publish a special weekly Business 2000 column directed at Leaving Certificate business students. A wide range of topics will be discussed from start-up businesses to human resource management. This can be ordered by schools at a special rate using the freefone number below.
Each pack, delivered free of charge to schools, also contains a Teacher's Questionnaire which will ensure the continuing evolution of this exciting and innovative project.
The Department of Education is fully committed to the project and has developed a group of Special Service Teachers who are available to help teachers at this introductory stage. Where possible, representatives from the 32 business studies companies will visit schools in their areas adding a further real-life dimension.
The Irish Times Business 2000 will be used by 120,000 students in just under 800 schools around the country. The project will form a part of the national curriculum with each student being required to answer a case study type of question in the higher-level business exam of the 1999 Leaving Cert.
In this context the project will obviously have particular relevance to Leaving Cert higher-level business students but the pack will almost certainly be relevant for a range of others in the 14-18 age group. For example, for the Leaving Cert Applied course the project can be used as an innovative learning tool. Students of the Leaving Cert Vocational will also find it a useful resource. It is also appropriate for use by students of business courses at PLCs.
As part of the project The Irish Times plans to run a series of business-related competitions which schools can enter on a regional and national level.
Several regional launches of the project are planned in towns where there are branches of the Business Studies Teachers' Association of Ireland. The Association has played a significant part in the development of the project. Where possible locations will be linked to relevant companies: Aer Rianta in Shannon and the Ford Motor Company in Cork.
The Irish Times Business 2000 is set to bring business studies alive in the classroom. "A welcome resource," as one participant described it, "which will be highly valued by the teaching profession and students alike."
