AUCKLAND, May 28, 2014—Massey University Albany will be full of energy, enthusiasm and excitement when 80 of New Zealand’s young aspiring entrepreneurs take part in the FedEx Express/Junior Achievement International Trade Challenge (FedEx/JA ITC), vying to win one of six places on the New Zealand team to compete at the Asia Pacific Final.
For the sixth year, FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), and the world’s largest express transportation company, together with Young Enterprise Trust, are bringing talented 16-to-19-year-olds from around the country to Auckland June 13-16.
Placed in teams, the students will be asked to come up with a market entry plan, product prototype and multimedia presentation all within a few hours. They will then present to a judging panel that includes; Prof. Brigid Heywood, Assistant Vice-Chancellor Research, Academic and Enterprise, Massey University; Lee Davies, FedEx country manager New Zealand and Pacific Islands; FedEx representative Tony Dixon; Marc Potter, President, Harvard Business School Alumni Association of NZ; Graeme Shaw from XERO the New Zealand based cloud accounting business, and Mark Eglington, Young Enterprise Trustee.
The winning students will then represent New Zealand in the FedEx/JA ITC Asia-Pacific regional final held in Hong Kong in August, a challenge where one of the New Zealand teams came first runners up last year. Before heading to Hong Kong, the six finalists will participate in a two-day training workshop in late July at the FedEx facility in Auckland to prepare them for the Asia-Pacific regional final.
The FedEx/JA ITC is designed to hone business knowledge, build confidence, develop teamwork skills and help students gain an understanding of international trade and entrepreneurship.
Kim Garner, managing director, FedEx Express Australasia, says the FedEx/JA ITC is about encouraging entrepreneurial skills to help set students onto the path to success in the global business world.
Since 2007 the FedEx Express/JA International Trade Challenge in Asia Pacific has benefitted almost 10,000 students in nine Asia Pacific countries, including 307 students from over 100 schools in New Zealand, with invaluable insight into global trade.
16 June TEAM New Zealand announced – 8-10 a.m.
Young Enterprise Trust has been working with schools throughout New Zealand for over 30 years. It has a range of enterprise education programmes and financial literacy resources available for students of all ages. The Trust is a registered charity and in 2012 connected with more than 50,000 students.