Junior Achievement, dedicated to educating young people to value free enterprise, understand business and economics and be workforce ready, has teamed up with the American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS) in Central Florida to introduce "What's Up In Factories?" to seniors participating in Junior Achievement economics program. APICS offers basic training courses and certification programs for Production and Inventory Management and Integrated Resource Management professionals.

Fred Rosenthal, a Junior Achievement consultant to seniors at Lake Howell High School in Seminole County, Florida, is an academic liaison in APICS' Central Florida chapter. He volunteers his time to familiarize area high school students with what it's really like in the workforce, once laptops replace textbooks and performance evaluations replace tests.

"'What's Up In Factories?' is a terrific vehicle for introducing students to manufacturing," said Rosenthal. "It's upbeat and helps them relate their world of sneakers and other consumer products to the world of economics."

"Volunteers, like Fred, bridge the gap between what students can learn from textbooks and computer software programs and what goes on in the reality of the marketplace," said Jonathan Baety, Senior Education Management for Junior Achievement. "Their experience adds an important first-hand element to what students learn in class, and we expect the 'What's Up In Factories?' materials to complement our economics course curriculum nicely."