This immersive business competition introduces students to business, entrepreneurship, and soft skill development. It provides a real-world simulation that puts students in the CEO seat to run a company within the phone industry. Teams of three students are matched with a business mentor and through rounds of competition, students experience firsthand how an organization evaluates alternative, makes decisions, analyzes the outcomes of those decisions, and then strategize what to do next, according to a news release from Junior Achievement of Maine.

The 2024 challenge, the biggest to date, will match nearly 300 high school students with more than 100 mentors from businesses and organizations across the state. Mentors guide students by sharing their own work and life experience, networking with students, and providing guidance during several rounds of competition. There will be a regional winning team at each location and a first and second place winning team. Members of the top two teams will receive scholarships for post-secondary education generously donated by Machias Savings Bank.

Experiences like this are one of the ways Junior Achievement is tackling workforce development by inspiring and preparing Maine students to be career and life ready.