【ITC2021】A Life Changing Experience

FedEx Express/Junior Achievement International Trade Challenge 2021（以下、ITC 2021）の国内大会でTOP3に入賞し、日本代表として国際大会に出場された高校生のS.B.さんがこのコンテストでの学びについて記事を書いてくださいました。

当コンテストは通常は対面で開催しておりますが、コロナ禍で行われたITC 2021は全てオンラインでの開催となりました。そのため、コミュニケーションの難しさなどの様々なハードルがありましたが、S.Bさんにとって人生を変えるインパクトがあったようです。是非ご一読ください。

International Trade Challengeの概要はこちら
https://ja-japan.org/contests/ITC.html

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Before participating in the ITC 2021, I never would’ve thought that it would have this big of an impact on the way I look at the world. Through this competition, I gained better business skills and learned the importance of good teamwork.

Firstly, I learned the skills associated with creating a business proposal. Although I had always had an interest in business, I never knew the specifics of how to create a business pitch. Because this competition required extensive research into different aspects of a business, such as marketing and finance, I am now able to create a multi-page business proposal in under one day. This skill will be invaluable for me in the future, as proper research skills are vital no matter what job I do.

Secondly, and most importantly, I learned the importance of collaboration and teamwork. I believe that this is the most important aspect of the competition because you are paired up with somebody you don’t know, to create a new business proposal in under 2 days. Without good communication, this would be an impossible task to complete. At first, it was slightly difficult to talk to my partner due to differences in culture and time zones. However, as the program progressed, we learned to work together as a team. In the end, although we didn’t win, we became good friends and created a solid presentation.

Overall, I highly recommend this program for people who are not only interested in business, but also those who want to gain a better understanding of the world. Through this program, I connected with people from various countries across Asia, and gained a better understanding of their cultures. It also helped me realize that I want to explore the world more, when I get older.

For next year’s participants, I have two recommendations. My first piece of advice is to use the ice-breaking time effectively. This is because after the icebreaking you have virtually no time to get to know your partner on a personal level. By using the time effectively, you will be able to create your business proposal without having to worry about collaboration issues. My second piece of advice is to spend ample time on deciding your final product/service. This is because, the product is the most important part of the pitch. Without a good product, no matter how well you do on the individual parts, it will be difficult to win. Therefore, I advise future participants to analyze the prompt, and make sure their product can practically and creatively solve the given issue.

To conclude, this competition will completely change the way you look at the world. The knowledge and friends gained from this competition will stay with you for the rest of your life, as they will for mine.

Written by S.B.

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ITC 2021の国内大会の様子については、FedEx Expressのnoteにも記事が掲載されております。是非ご覧ください。

https://note.com/fedex_express/n/n9ee8fc5643a9