The project Enterprise German has been carried out at GISS since 2018 in cooperation with the Goethe Institute Australia. The voluntary project is aimed at students in grade 10 and serves to promote cooperation between schools and German or Australian companies with a connection to Germany in the region.
Period:
- Middle Term 1 Year 10 – End Term 4 Year 10
- 1x weekly during lunch break + 2 full days to carry out company visits
Goals:
- Introduction of students to the professional world and creation of insights into economic structures and contexts
- Establishment of cooperation between GISS and German companies or companies with a connection to Germany in Sydney
- Arousing interest in career and study prospects (e.g. also a dual course of study) in Germany or in German companies
- Sensitization of students to the added value of German for their professional future
- Promotion of media competence through the use of the learning platform Moodle and creation of PowerPoint presentations, advertising films, etc.
Project Schedule/Content
The project is divided into three modules.
In Module 1 "Our Economic Area", students deal with the Sydney Economic Area. You will learn more about German companies or companies related to Germany in the region by creating an overview and a short company profile of about 5 of these companies.
Module 2 "Our partner company" is about students coming together in groups of 2-5 students and choosing a company they want to work with for their project. For this purpose, the Goethe-Institut provides a list of companies that have agreed to participate in the project. The students dealt with the chosen company and researched the company history, locations, products, target groups, etc. After a detailed analysis of the respective company, the students independently develop a product idea in their teams, which should represent a meaningful extension of the company's offer and be marketable. This idea is presented during a company visit to the company and feedback from the experts can be obtained. In addition, the visit to the partner company gives the students the opportunity to interview a company representative to get even more information about the company and an insight into the company itself.
Module 3 "Our business idea" is the actual heart of the project. After the students have presented their product idea to the company, they can now use the feedback received to adapt or further improve their product so that it fits well into the company profile of the chosen company. Finally, the students deal with the marketing of the product. They choose a creative name and slogan and create a commercial.
This will be sent to the Goethe Institute as the end product of the project and an expert jury will select the winners from all submissions.
Although the project is voluntary and takes place during the lunch break - i.e. in the free time of the pupils - more than half of the pupils of Jgst. 10 participate every year. With a lot of initiative and commitment, the students work on their product ideas and are in close contact with their respective contact persons in the companies of their choice during large parts of the project. In addition to the cooperation with the partner companies, the project also enables the participation of parents. Whenever possible, we use the expertise of our parents and invite them, for example, to give lectures on corporate structures and marketing, giving students further important insights into the world of business.