Become a PFEW Company Advisor
Company Advisor (CA) volunteers spend a week guiding a team of high school students through an interactive business simulation. As a CA, you'll mentor your student company as they elect officers, make decisions for their business simulation, brainstorm ideas, develop a marketing campaign, and develop leadership and teamwork skills. You are the support for the company as they navigate their way through a series of challenges designed to introduce them to the REAL world of business and careers. As a bonus, you will have the opportunity to enhance your own leadership skills, share your personal expertise and experiences, and form a mentorship bond with the youth of our communities. Your role is to engage, educate, and empower the students to be involved in the activities. This week-long opportunity will be nothing like you have ever experienced before!
Who We're Looking For
Our best Company Advisors are people who have:
- A sincere desire to mentor young adults to help them learn about themselves and their potential
- The desire to learn more about youth, business skills, and group interaction
- A basic understanding of the business nature of their industry
- A desire to meet new people, network, and have fun
- Adaptability and a sense of humor
Benefits of Being a Company Advisor
Anybody who has ever been a CA will tell you that it was one of the most rewarding weeks of their lives. The benefits don't end with the chance to make a difference in the lives of teens — our CAs also say that they are better employees after they've participated in the program.
- Network and build camaraderie with top business professionals from across the state
- Improve team-building and leadership skills
- A challenging exercise in facilitating a group of strangers and molding them into a cohesive team that works together effectively
- Collaborate with business professionals and educators to help shape the workforce of tomorrow
- Enhance public speaking and presentation skills
- Market individual jobs, internships, and companies to the future workforce
Time Commitment
PFEW runs for one full week, starting with student registration on Sunday and ending with the Closing Ceremony on Friday. CAs arrive the Saturday before PFEW begins to attend one day of mandatory training. Daily programming begins at 8:00 a.m. and concludes each evening around 9:00 p.m. with intermittent breaks and set meal times. The week is a very challenging, yet rewarding experience. CAs will have opportunities throughout the day to attend to personal or business matters as the schedule allows.
Financial Commitment
Most companies see PFEW as a professional development tool and pay for their employees to attend. If you would like to explore this opportunity as a potential work training course or to see if your company already partners with us, please contact our offices for more details.
On-campus meals are provided by the Foundation (breakfast, lunch, dinner) each day. However, there are opportunities to eat off-campus should you choose to do so at your own expense.
CAs are asked to cover their own lodging expenses. A special room rate is offered at the nearby Holiday Inn, or a more affordable option is offered on campus in the upperclassmen dorm rooms.
The best thing I could say to a former PFEW student who is now considering returning as a Company advisor, intern, RA or other position is this: If you thought it was fun the first time, imagine how rewarding it is to see that same expression and excitement on several hundred smiling faces! As a business owner, it is not easy for me to get away for a week, but I love participating in PFEW as an adult as much as I did when I attended in 1996. The experience is still hugely rewarding and educational, and motivating. Each year I have returned, I bring a stack of side project work I hope to accomplish in my "free time". I always seem to forget that when I am not spending time mentoring the kids, I get to listen to the motivational speakers. I love the comradery the veteran company advisors share, as they have done this for many years. You are warmly welcomed into a great group who you can learn much from. They veterans are business owners, marketing executives, bankers, and the value of discussing your business ideas and networking with them is huge. I have learned things by observing the students that I have applied in the real world. Finally and maybe what is most in it for me is the energy I leave with. We all work hard, and even the best job can be draining at times. The ability to step away from it all for a week and absorb the creative energy of the kids and the program really recharges my batteries and gives me a new enthusiasm.
