Principle Behind Junior Achievement Programs 

“ The future of each individual rests in the individual provided each is given a fair an proper education and training in the useful things of life.”

Programs Overview

Hands-on, fun, effective……these are just a few words used to describe Junior Achievement programs. Whether it is through a classroom kit or an interactive technology program, JA brings economic and business concepts to life in classrooms around the world. Lessons on “needs vs. wants” lay the groundwork for concepts such as personal economics and business ethics. JA Worldwide is constantly striving to develop and deliver quality education programs to Member Nations around the world.

For young people to play an active role in society today, they need both the old competences of basic functional skills (numeric, literacy, ability to communicate, etc) and also new competences such as the ability to solve problems, to deal with ambiguity and uncertainty, to be creative and personal enterprise.  

This requires establishing a closer relationship between the curriculum and the broader community, including the world of work.  To be most effective, living, working and learning must be a single, interconnected entity.

JA Worldwide Programs

Primary School
For younger students – roughly ages 5 to 12 – JA offers programs that are sequential in nature and show students their roles as individuals, consumers and workers. The lessons help students examine their roles in families, communities, cities, regions, nations and finally, the world. Lessons include role playing, games, and hands-on exercises that make learning fun.

Middle Grades
Students ages 13 to 15 participate in programs that assess their personal skills and interests, explore career options, and educational goals. Students are exposed to concepts such as budgets, credit, trade, and financial management.

Secondary School/University
Students ages 16 through to 22 participate in programs focusing on entrepreneurialism, leadership, and the global economy. Students attain skills and knowledge they’ll use for the rest of their lives: budgeting, personal and family financial management, and banking. Through programs such as the Company Program and GLOBE, students are starting and running their own businesses. In the case of GLOBE, students learn the fundamentals of trade and how businesses are connected to people and cultures throughout the world. Through these, and many other JA programs, students receive a thorough grounding in business governance and operations as well as the importance of corporate social responsibility.

Global Competitions and Conferences
Beyond the classroom, students put their knowledge into action. JA Worldwide, with the help of generous corporate sponsors, has created opportunities for students to learn and compete with each other through global events. Every year, hundreds of student teams from as many as 60 countries compete in a computer based business simulation program as part of the Hewlett-Packard Global Business Challenge (HPGBC). These top students are making decisions that business executives make every day.

For the second year, JA Worldwide coordinated The Global Trade Institute, sponsored by The Marmon Group of Companies held at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, which brought together some of JA’s top students from 65 countries. The 83 young people participated in an intensive week of seminars on entrepreneurship, global trade, e-commerce, web design, networking, venture capital, time management, marketing and many other business-related topics. In addition to the educational program, students formed friendships with peers from countries they may have known little about before the Institute. This program brings the best of the best together to learn what it means to play a role in the global economy.

Conferences around the globe – in Canada and Mexico, as well as Asia, Europe, and Africa – are held regularly so students can meet and forge cross-border friendships. This added component to the quality JA classroom experiences creates lifelong memories for these young people.

JA Kenya Programs

JA in Kenya provides the following age-appropriate programs designed to teach students about their roles as individuals, workers, consumers and members of society in achieving a successful future. Our high school programs - Programs Overview prepare students for key economic and workforce issues they will face in future:

JA Success Skills ^TM helps students develop job hunting, networking, team work and people skills necessary for the workplace and in life

Company Program ^TM teaches students how business works by having them operate their own company as a school-based organization or club

JA Personal Economics ^TM focuses on personal skills and interests, the value of an education, career options, and personal and family financial management

JA Leadership ^TM helps students become active community leaders by studying about and working in the local economy

JA International Marketplace ^TM helps students appreciate how they are connected, through trade, to peoples and cultures world wide

Banks in Action is a simulation that introduces students to banks and banking

Life Skills explores behavior change skills, includes HIV/AIDS education - adapted from the US Peace Corps Life Skills Manual)

JA Job Shadow ^TM introduces students to the business world and its many career opportunities through one-day, on-site orientations  

JA BASE ^TM (Building Achievement through Sports and Entertainment) helps students see the business side of the sports, arts and entertainment industry. 

Programs Overview