An MBA-style experience for high schoolers
Having spent the week in Singapore with Westbourne students from Sydney, Singapore and the UK and seeing it all firsthand Patrick McGing, Principal of Westbourne College Sydney, has no doubt the Future Leaders Lab is an opportunity like no other.
“It is an invaluable experience for high school students to obtain a genuine MBA-styled education adapted appropriately for their level of experience while challenging them to learn business at the next level,” states Patrick.
Led by INSEAD Professor Adrian Johnson and other industry professionals, this week-long workshop covered many of the areas one would expect to see in an MBA, and the students were able to use some of the latest AI tools to sharpen their business, communication and strategic skills. The course revolved around keynote presentations on areas such as
- communication
- creativity
- negotiation
- use of AI, start-up business planning
- strategic analysis of business viability
- financial planning and,
- the roles of key people in imagining, planning, launching and ensuring the sustainability of a business.
“One of the most compelling sessions explored the students’ negotiation skills, with students engaging with an AI tool that saw them negotiate a contract with a fictitious Hollywood star. It was impressive to see students take on characters and force themselves to adapt their negotiation style to suit the different characters and the demands of the situation, respectively,” says Patrick.
Negotiations within the Future Leaders Lab are complex and deliberately designed at the level appropriate for high school teenagers. In the augural lab, students were challenged with negotiating with a fictional celebrity and learnt the complexities as family members, agents and more from the industry were involved in the negotiations. Students negotiated through an AI tool, which adapted to the negotiation approach and scored the groups on how well they managed this complex individual. The winning group scored 79, only just below the scores gained by experienced negotiators completing their MBA.
2025 Future Leaders programme are open, to read more about the programme click here . Alternatively, if your teenager is ready to apply now click here.
