Young thinkers learn business technologies at GVSU event

More than 32 charter high school students from across the state learned about the latest business technologies during the SAP® Young Thinkers Program held at the L. William Seidman Center sponsored by the Seidman College of Business February 16.

The program is a hands-on workshop to introduce high school students to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. Grand Valley's ERP Program utilizes SAP software which is run by 250,000 companies in more than 130 countries.

"This experiential learning program aims to help students understand the extraordinary revolution brought about by ERP systems today and their impact on societies, businesses and everyday life," said Meagan Luttenton-Knoll, clinical affiliate faculty of management.

During the workshop, high school students learned how to play The ERPsim game which is a water bottle distribution game intended for students to learn about ERP systems that businesses use today. Each student was given a role to play in the simulation where they learned analytical and creative thinking skills.

Participating schools included Covenant House Grand Rapids, Covenant House Detroit – Central, Covenant House Detroit – Southwest, Covenant House Detroit – East, University Prep Science and Math, Taylor Preparatory School, Michigan Math and Science Academy, and Canton Preparatory Academy. 

The event was also sponsored by the Enterprise Systems Student Union at GVSU created specifically for students interested in Enterprise Systems/ERP. The purpose of the organization is to provide a better understanding of enterprise systems and to provide a link between the university and companies who utilize enterprise systems. The organization hosts the ERP speaker series, provides networking opportunities with companies, conducts resume workshops and practice interviews, and provides tutoring to management information systems students.

For more information visit www.gvsu.edu/erp.