NFTE blog

Written by Harsh Bhargava, President of I Create Inc

This year at the 5^th National Business Plan Competition conducted by I Create (NFTE India) we witnessed a historical moment when Montu Shah took the stage.  Montu Shah gave a stunning presentation of his business plan to manufacture individually designed and painted t-shirts. The truly remarkable part about this presentation was that he did it all in sign language.  With the aid of an interpreter and his PowerPoint slideshow, Montu explains how the shirts would be individually designed and painted by the other hearing and speech challenged students in his school.  His business would provide them with a way to earn some greatly needed pocket money, and he will be able to keep his unique business going.

Amy Rosen reporting in from her last day at Davos and the World Economic Forum.

Well it is my final hours in Davos and the WEF has left the most important session to the last day – The Entrepreneurship Imperative. Throughout the week there has been constant references to the need for entrepreneurs to be the future engine of both developed and developing economies, but this is the first time we are gathering to discuss effective strategies to make this happen.  We are finally getting to the question – “How can entrepreneurship education drive inclusive growth and job creation?”

Amy Rosen reporting in with more from Davos and the World Economic Forum. Check back with us for more from Amy.

Sitting here in a country that did not give women the right to vote until 1971 and where today 4 of the 7 member governing body are woman, I am struck by the uneven progress and persistent barriers that woman face in specific fields. The International Herald Tribune led with a story today about the wide gender gap at top of the ladder in Europe. On that note I headed into this morning’s WEF session titled, Six Global Challenges, One Solution: Women.

Amy Rosen reporting in with more from the World Economic Forum. Check in with us each day to hear more from Amy about what's happening in Davos.

I’m sitting here in one of the first major session of WEF 2011, The Future of Employment (to be broadcast on CNBC under the tite “The West Isn’t Working”) where Maria Bartiromo has framed the debate with two questions. First, whether the west can maintain its superpower status with the potential of job growth occurring only in the east. West vs. east is clearly the theme with the participants, leading journalists, government advisors and business leaders taking their predictable sides. Most have quickly come to the conclusion that it isn’t about either/or and it never has been. It’s about doing what’s necessary to create jobs worldwide and make sure the respective work forces have the skills to fill those jobs.

This post is one of many which you will be able to read this week by Amy Rosen, CEO of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, while she is in Davos, Switzerland at the World Economic Forum. Check in with us each day to hear more about what's happening at WEF.
 

Arriving in Davos late yesterday afternoon, my first impression (beyond a sigh of relief that there wasn’t nearly as much snow and ice as I had expected) was the odd appearance of skiers coming down from the slopes walking through town with their parkas and boots still on, skiis and snow boards in hand, next to many dark suited men dragging computer bags and black roller bags, all headed to the same hotels.  Checking in to my modest (Ikea style small single beds with one pillow) digs for the week, I saw the same odd mix – European skiers happily drinking their lagers, next to men and woman (mostly men) busily reading their papers and typing on their computers in the only area of the hotel with internet.

Attention all NFTE teachers, alumni, students, and entrepreneurs! Steve Mariotti, the founder of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, has just co-written another book about entrepreneurship with Dr. Caroline Glackin.

This week we have Victor Salama, NFTE’s Vice President of Business and International Partnerships, guest blogging for us to tell us about his recent trip to China for their 4^th annual National Business Plan Competitiion.

I just came back from China having attended the Bright China Foundation’s (BCF) 4^th annual National Business Plan Competition for its youth entrepreneurship program.  What a fantastic experience!  Having worked with BCF since it became a NFTE licensee in 2003, I knew that they ran excellent programs, and over the years I have had the opportunity to meet several graduates and some teachers.  But being there in person at the competition was really eye opening.