DETROIT - Through a partnership between the Wayne State University School of Business Administration, Detroit Public Schools and the business community, 28 students from seven Detroit public high schools are spending their summer learning about information technology and its impact on business. The E-Commerce Summer Camp is an overall 10-week program that includes six weeks of lectures and hands-on training, focusing on technical and business skills.

Seniors from Cass Technical, Martin Luther King Jr., Murray-Wright, Northern, Northwestern, Pershing and Western high schools began the program on June14. During the morning, the students take part in classes that focus on technical skill development, which includes Web design and an introduction to e-commerce; business skill development, which includes basic financial concepts and an overview of business functions; and behavioral skill development, which includes office etiquette and team building.

In the afternoons, the students participate in paid internships at various companies and organizations in the Detroit area, including Ford Motor Co., the Detroit Free Press, Budco, Crain Communications, Inc., the City of Detroit, Technical Software Consulting, Vision IT and other high-tech firms. The School of Business Administration will hold a graduation ceremony for those students who successfully complete the camp on Aug. 23, where each will receive anew computer and free Internet access through WSU.

The Thompson-McCully Company Foundation and SBC Ameritech have provided major funding for the E-Commerce Summer Camp. Ford Motor Co. and Compuware Corp. have provided additional support. This is the second year that the School of Business Administration has offered the camp. In 2001, 25 students participated.

A detailed fact sheet about the E-Commerce Summer Camp is available. Contact Rose Estioco at (313) 993-1385.