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For Eager Students, the CA/NFTE Enterprising Youth Technology BizCamp Offers a New Business Venture and a Bright Future

MIAMI, July 2 PRNewswire — On Friday, June 27th 2008, 21 enterprising young South Florida students saw their summer's hard work come to life when they presented business technology portfolios to a panel of judges from Computer Associates (CA) at the 2nd Annual CA/NFTE Enterprising Youth Technology BizCamp. CA, the camp's sponsor, sees a growing demand for technology training and entrepreneurial education, coming from the rapid creation of new small businesses throughout the region.

"Computer Associates is proud to support NFTE in its efforts to align students' entrepreneurial spirit with their boundless creativity," said Michelle Accardi, VP of Sales Initiatives and Alignment for CA, and judge at the BizCamp.

For NFTE (The National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship), today's ultra-competitive marketplace requires more than big ideas. Starting a business requires knowledge that is highly attuned to changing consumer, market and technological demands — starting off with the very basics, like developing a sound and realistic business and marketing plan. That is why NFTE provides opportunities to students from low-income communities with an effective way to engage them in learning through programs such as the BizCamp, where students learn real world tools including Principles of Successful Selling, Developing a Marketing Mix and Presenting a Technology and Marketing Portfolio.

The CA/NFTE BizCamp was a natural progression from NFTE South Florida's regular program, which exposes over 2,600 students to business and entrepreneurship fundamentals during the course of the school year. All the students involved in the summer program first participated in NFTE's basic program and competed in their classroom or the regional business plan competitions, including Alexander Niles (14), NFTE South Florida's first place winner, who will also compete in NFTE's National Competition taking place in New York, in October 2008.

The students participating in CA/NFTE BizCamp were from middle and high schools all over Miami-Dade County, including North Miami Beach, Highland Oaks Middle, Coral Gables Senior, Booker T. Washington, Northwestern, American Northwestern, Turner Tech, Miami Central and Edison.

Learning tools vital to succeed in today's aggressive economy like using income statements and The Wall Street Journal or conducting market research, these NFTE students find themselves more prepared to turn their entrepreneurial skills and concepts into successful business ventures. NFTE's entrepreneurship program is designed to teach business skills, while reinforcing academic, leadership and life, giving students a chance to unlock their true potential to improve their lives and communities.

At the close of the camp, each student showcased a website and brief "business commercial" developed during the camp to support his or her business. Representatives from CA including Michelle Accardi, Tara Costa, Hope Powers, Kenneth Jakobsen and Rolando Perez were there to offer constructive comments and advice. "Thanks to CA's support, our students now have the technology-based applications and tools that will support their current business plans," said Alice Horn, Executive Director of NFTE South Florida. Glen Gilzean, South Florida's Regional Director of the Florida Department of Education, was also there to meet with students and see NFTE's program in progress.

Pictures from the CA/NFTE 2008 Enterprising Youth Technology BizCamp can be viewed here: http://www.magicalphotos.com/nftebizcamp/all.html .

For more information about the BizCamp or NFTE, please contact Vanessa Horwell or Luis Aguilar on 786.228.8455 or pr@thinkinkpr.com or visit www.nfte.com .

About CA

CA, one of the world's largest independent software companies, provides software solutions to unify and simplify IT management. With CA's Enterprise IT Management (EITM) vision and expertise, organizations can more effectively govern, manage and secure IT to optimize business performance and sustain competitive advantage. Founded in 1976, CA serves customers in virtually every country in the world. For more information, visit www.ca.com .

About The National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship

The National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship ( www.nfte.com ) is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, whose mission is to teach entrepreneurship to young people from low-income communities. Since 1987, NFTE has reached over 186,000 young people. Currently, NFTE has more than 1,000 active Certified Entrepreneurship Teachers in 21 states and 14 countries.

SOURCE The National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship

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