Business Professional of America (BPA) is an American professional organization that is mainly for American students who are presently pursuing careers in business related fields. In fact, BPA draws members from the students’ fraternities in colleges across the United States of America currently undertaking business professional courses such as business management, business administration, information technology, public relations, office administration, business communication, among other business related fields. Having been started in 1966, Business Professionals of America has continued to grow both in membership as well as coverage and performance in enriching the business professionals with knowledge and abilities to guarantee them success in their careers. To achieve this objective BPA has been strategic by targeting the students with programs to enrich professional knowledge and abilities of members right from the early schooling age. To date, the Business Professionals of America has more than fifty one thousand members and well over two thousand three hundred chapters distributed in twenty three states within the United States of America.
Among the programs that the association runs is the Work Place Skills Assessments Program (WSAP), which offers the business students adequate and highly rated preparations to guarantee success in their careers. In addition, the association evaluates real world business skills and problems solving skills in finance, management information technology as well as computers applications in real business. Apart from helping in equipping the business students with real world business skills, the Business Professionals Of America through its close collaboration with the American curriculum and education officials, ensures that the students are provided with the best business training and which offers the best practical business skills to the latter to (in the best way) suit their careers development and success. It assists the business and information technology tutors and curriculum developers to give the best such skills to the students, through offering of curriculum based on established national standard. Furthermore, the association provides through its online career support programs materials and resources that are tailored to suit the schools’ syllabuses.
In addition, this association continues to contribute to the professional knowledge and abilities through its preparation of world class business workforce by assisting the business and information technology students to advance their leadership skills, citizenship skills, technological skills and their real applications in business as well as developing a host of student’s other real world business skills that have proven useful for their career success. Business Professionals of America has been rated the most successful careers and technical professional ability enhancing student association in the United States. In fact, evidence of their success is clearly depicted by the success of its alumni, who have proven record of competence and high degree of skills in their work, and which have undoubtedly assisted both the industry and business to maintain high levels of economic strength and high quality of life consistent with the cerebrated standards of the United States of America.
According to hall (2002:37), a career is defined as a succession of professional experiences and activities that are related to person’s line of duty, and relates directly with an individual or organizational goals that the persons experiences throughout his life. Career development involves a wide range of activities; from formal training to social relationships and mentoring (Oglebay & Wheeling 2007:16). According to Oglebay & Wheeling, (2007: 17), the success of one’s career depends on his ability and knowledge, the latter of which is determined by the amount of knowledge, exposure, experiences and continued development all through one’s life. The roles of professional associations such as the business professionals of America in enhancing professional knowledge and abilities are thus clearly cut (Hall, 2002:35). The business professional of America targets students and instill them with career skills which enhance their professional knowledge and abilities which to a greater extent influences the students future success in their careers. In professional organizations, members who are closely related either in terms of careers or work enhances professional knowledge and ability.
Reference List
Business Professionals of America, (2009). The business professionals of America official website.
Hall, W. (2002). Role of Professional Organization in Career Development and Success. Web.
Oglebay, R. and Wheeling, W. (2007). Managing For Success: Career Development, Harvard Business School Vol. 13 No. 2