Shop Billings Career Center Market Day
Come and support some of Billings' youngest entrepreneurs at Rimrock Mall on Friday-Sunday, December 14-16, 2018 from 12-6pm with Billings Career Center Market Day.- Planet Dog
- Santa Stockings
- Spunky Sock Co.
- Sassy Sweaters
As the result of a unique, first-time partnership involving Billings Public School Schools, Rimrock Mall, Cellular PLUS, Billings Works (part of Big Sky Economic Development Authority), Youth Entrepreneurs and Billings Public Schools JMG program (Jobs for Montana Graduates), which is housed in the Billings Career Center; the community will have the opportunity to shop the products being sold by entrepreneurial local teens.
Local high school students in the Jobs for Montana Graduates program (offered through Billings Public Schools) are experiencing a brand-new curriculum this semester where they are learning entrepreneurial traits and options they can pursue after high school. It also teaches teens a variety of skills useful in any job, including critical thinking, professionalism, communication, organization, planning and more.
Selecting the Young Entrepreneurs:
On November 5, students pitched their business concepts to mock investors in a competition modeled after the popular show, Shark Tank. Out of 77 students competing, four have been selected to sell their products on two carts in the common area at Rimrock Mall from Friday, December 14 through Sunday, December 16. This replaces the district’s annual tradition of “Market Day” where students provide products and services from mock businesses, selling to their peers and school community.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for Billings-area teens. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 50 percent of Montana high school students will go on to college, and then 50 percent of those students will actually come out of college with a four-year degree,” said Daron Olson, marketing director at Rimrock Mall. “This leaves 75 percent of Montana high school graduates without a degree, seeking career opportunities in their post-high school years in the real-world without the proper tools to succeed. We are excited to help more students gain the skills they need to be successful after high school.”
“Ultimately, students will benefit because they need the skills and experience,” Olson said. “And local employers will benefit because future applicants will be more knowledgeable after getting this education.”