A bid to expose prospective entrepreneurs to 'start up' life has allowed a group of Orange High School students to spend a week inside an IT company.
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The information technology students spent a week with Everywhere Venues, a Central West based business designed to help people book office space.
Founder Zoe Hida said the "[so called] Airbnb for office spaces" was established to make it easy for people to identify the accessibility of buildings when renting a space.
As part of the work placement, the students called businesses and invited them to list their bookable spaces on the online marketplace.
"I don't need to be the boss. I'm happy just being a regular guy."
- Daniel Pham
If the students had luck on the phones they were sent out with a camera to document the bookable space, so its accessibility could be judged online by potential renters.
While teenagers are notoriously good texters, getting them to pick up the phone to call people isn't as easy.
Jace Bishop admitted it was "quite nerve-racking".
"To call someone you don't know is tough," he said. "But I got used to it after a few calls."
Daniel Pham agreed.
He said the experience taught him entrepreneurship wasn't for everyone.
"I don't need to be the boss," he said. "I'm happy just being a regular guy."
With a law degree in his sights, Melusi Moyo said after his 35 hour work placement he hadn't ruled out launching his own business in the future.
Jackson Rolfe said his interest in technology had helped him identify areas of the business he thought could be improved.
The students were part of a work placement program designed to teach young people the soft skills of being entrepreneurs.
CEO of employment agency, Western Student Connections, Ana Pateman said offering work placements of this kind gives high school students access to startup learning opportunities.
"Everywhere Venues in Bathurst is the only IT company in Western NSW to offer work placements of this kind to high school students and the provider of the most work placements of any company to Charles Sturt University students," she said.
"It's exciting to see that they are now expanding their ability to host students outside the Bathurst region to young people across NSW.
"This is really helpful for students in regional and remote centres to have access to startup learning opportunities."
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