Many people associate entrepreneurship with the United States, but lately, it has become more of a global concept. Around the world, especially in areas where unemployment rates have skyrocketed, young people are learning entrepreneurship skills that can prepare them for future success in the 21st century marketplace.
In response to the rampant unemployment and underemployment rates across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, technology giant Hewlett-Packard (HP) started the <EMPH TYPE="4">Graduate Entrepreneurship Training Through Information Technologies (GET-IT) program to help eliminate this problem by training young people (ages 16–25) for future careers. Launched in May 2007, the program aims to train half a million young people by 2010 in technology skills that they can use to gain meaningful employment or launch their own businesses. The program has opened 70 training centers in 25 countries.
By partnering with nonprofits and various other organizations, the GET-IT program uses interactive classrooms to teach young people how to solve business IT problems. Different types of training have students participating in interactive games in which they must troubleshoot IT security problems, appease clients, and find solutions in a matter of minutes. The 2008 article "<EMPH TYPE="4">HP Training Gives Young People a Head-Start in Business" explains that these simulations reflect the real-life scenarios students may one day face as business owners.
Africa, which has a crippling unemployment rate, is one of the prime areas where GET-IT is focusing its resources. In May 2008, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) partnered with HP to expand the program throughout Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, Nigeria, Tunisia, and Uganda. UNIDO sees the program as a way for young people to climb out of poverty, increase their technology skills, and gain employment or start their own IT businesses. With more people employed throughout the region, the economies of African countries could begin to improve, leading to better living conditions. In Africa, GET-IT trains young people in marketing, technology management, and finance so that their skills can be applied in a wide array of industries. The knowledge and skills they learn through this program will help prepare them for success in life and in their future careers.
Resources
- Gregston, B. (October 2008). <EMPH TYPE="4">HP training gives young people a head-start in business.
- HP Newsroom. (July 2007). <EMPH TYPE="4">Entrepreneurship is cool: Promising futures for young people.
- Kreissler, B. (August 2008). <EMPH TYPE="4">UNIDO and Hewlett-Packard partnership on entrepreneurship training for youth in Africa.
