Branna Shares Buzz on BizTown!

Fancy our forefathers’ fundamental formula for success:  finish school, tackle a trade, secure a stable job and build a good life. They knew the need was certain for everything from sales to seamstresses, grocers to gas attendants, bankers to brokers (‘get where this is going?)

Then comes the tempestuous uptick in technology and the work world we knew takes on a whole new view. High tech has hit the high road, reshaping the world in ways that would befuddle our founders.

According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, approximately 39 to 44 percent of core worker skills are expected to become obsolete or require significant retraining within the next five years. This rapid shift is driven by artificial intelligence, automation and technological advancements, affecting nearly 59 percent of the global workforce.

Add to that sad fact, as of late 2025, the underemployment rate for recent college graduates has risen to 42.5 percent, marking its highest level since 2020 and matching rates seen during the 2008 financial crisis. This means nearly half of new graduates are working jobs that do not typically require a college degree. 

Unfortunately, economic mobility in the U.S. – the ability to do better than the generation before – has declined significantly. No longer does a degree have the guarantee of an iron clad career path.

Enter the business barons of BizTown, an experiential enterprise for elementary students, that poses that the path forward isn’t broken; it’s evolving – and education must evolve with it. 

Just a few weeks ago, I had the honor and opportunity to serve as a volunteer chaperone for my granddaughter’s fifth grade class at Noblesville’s North Elementary. I had heard of this empiric experience geared toward students in grades 4 through 6. Junior Achievement BizTown combines in-class learning with a day-long visit to a simulated town, this one located on Keystone Avenue in Indianapolis. This veritable venue allows elementary school students to operate banks, manage restaurants, write checks and vote for mayor. My Averie touted the title of CEO of Peyton-Manning Hospital, where she learned a litany of lessons on leadership in corporate America. One of her besties reigned as the mayor, sworn into duty for this day-long visit to a simulated town. 

All classmates can count on a requisite role in the “Biz,” including writing checks (one of Averie’s foremost favorites) and even vesting their vote for mayor. Students are able to connect the dots between what they learn in school and the real world. 

Following a busy day at BizTown, students returned to their classrooms to discuss the roles they played as citizens, workers and consumers in their community and relate those roles to the free enterprise system. They delved into discussions on the importance of citizen rights and responsibilities, manifested money management skills and procured a practical knowledge of economic concepts and banking practices.

JA BizTown Learning Experiences support national and state standards in reading, mathematics, social studies, plus work and career preparedness. Our elementary entrepreneurs left with a greater sense of financial literacy and a roadmap for readiness in the real world.

JA doesn’t just supplement education – it helps transform it. Their words, not mine, but  I’ve seen it for myself. The doors it has opened for dialogue with my gregarious granddaughter are awe-inspiring. 

Check out this and the many other hands-on opportunities offered by Junior Achievement at: Indy.ja.org

This week’s tip . . . take a trip to BizTown!