THE MINDSHOP EXCELLENCE PROGRAM
LIFE LONG LEARNING - SKILLS FOR A LIFETIME

The Program

Mindshop Excellence is a structured five-day Work Experience Program for groups of 4 -6, Year 10 or Year 11 students. The program aims to immerse the students in a real problem, selected by a host company. It has the potential to avoid the ‘pretend’ element that so often lessens the impact of Work Experience. The students are seen as real partners with a valued role to play.

The students are taught unique problem solving tools to develop skills in presentation, critical thinking, goal setting and meeting deadlines. Mindshop Facilitators and community/industry trained Facilitators donate their time and expertise to train the groups of students in basic Mindshop business improvement tools and processes including team work, strategic thinking, mind mapping, brainstorming, flow charting, cause and effect analysis, public speaking, motivation and self-esteem. Each student on the program is given a manual and CD, which is a resource tool for them.

The Host Company challenges the students with a real issue pertaining to their business.

The aims of the week long program include:

• To provide participants with new skills
- Life building skills that can be used continuously throughout their lives
- Team building skills developed by combining the strengths of each team member. This will involve tolerance and respect for each other as well as understanding individual needs and abilities.

• To build confidence
- Developing confidence is like most things in life; you take 2 steps forward and 1 step back! All these steps are of value; even the steps back are there to teach students how best to develop. Maximum confidence comes from building self esteem and maximizing the feelings that come from success. This program is designed to achieve both of these aims.

• To foster links between each school and local business.

• To provide our local host company(s) a practical and innovative plan on how to solve a problem related to their needs – a solution which students have come up with.

• To have fun whilst learning new skills.


Our team of Mindshop Facilitators and community/industry trained Facilitators donate their time and expertise to train the groups of students. What’s in it for them? It’s simple. It makes them feel good! Every one wins! The hosts win; they value the recommendations put forth by students, with many solutions being implemented. The parents and teachers win, when they see the new found confidence in the students and the way in which they all work as a team towards a common goal. The students win, having learnt processes and skills in problem solving techniques that will last a lifetime.

The highlight of the week is the presentation, which the students give to the management of the Host Organisation. The group presents and discusses their solutions to the problem. In many cases the Host Organisation has adopted these recommendations.

The most commonly expressed view from the students, after their presentation is usually, “the best part of the experience was knowing that we actually made a difference”.

Whilst the standard one-week work experience program forms the basis of the traditional Mindshop Excellence event, the program has also been modified to half day modules to suit the skills of students with special needs and Primary School students.

Educators, business leaders, government and the community have accepted the Mindshop Excellence Program as an important enterprise education experience.


The Work Experience schedule for the 5-day program:

• Day 1
Students arrive on location at the host company. Preliminary familiarisation & induction. Training in the basic Mindshop tools & presentation skills by the Mindshop Facilitator. Project announced by the Company late afternoon.

• Days 2, 3 & 4
Data gathering & analysis, problem solving & planning

• Day 5
Preparation for & presentation to representatives from the host organisation, their school & their parents – mid afternoon


Background

The ‘Mindshop’ organization is a fast growing International group, providing training (online and face to face) and online coaching and consulting in personal and business development. ‘Mindshop Excellence’ is the community purpose of the Mindshop group of companies. It is an opportunity to put something back into the community and to help develop the next generation of business leaders. Mindshop Excellence Facilitators and Community/Industry trained Facilitators donate their time free to the program. Mindshop Excellence is run by a non-profit charitable trust whose mission is to continue to deliver these programs throughout the world into the future. Your kind donation assists us to achieve this mission.

History

Over 14 years ago ‘Mindshop’ developed this innovative program specifically targeted at providing Year 10 students with work experience that contributes substantially to ‘job readiness’. To date the program has now personally touched over 3,000 students and is recognised Australia wide as a valuable learning opportunity for young people to develop enterprising skills. It is targeted at students who are about to embark on the transition from education to employment. The program also allows schools to be continually in touch with best practice business philosophies by encouraging them to integrate the Mindshop Excellence Program into their standard Work Experience curricula.

Mindshop Excellence has been recognised and has in previous years, received funding from the Victorian Department of Industry, Innovation and Regional Development and the Commonwealth Department of Education, Science & Training under the Enterprise and Career Education Foundation Limited Program enabling us to further advance our programs.