Junior Achievement Jamaica Launched

Junior Achievement Jamaica, which seeks to ensure that students are fully prepared for the world of work, was officially launched today (May 6) at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston.
Under the initiative, a cadre of dedicated volunteers from the public and private sectors will work with secondary school students in classrooms and after school settings, to help them develop economic literacy, entrepreneurial and financial management skills.
The students will benefit from hands-on programmes on how to generate real wealth and effectively manage it; create jobs, which make their communities more robust; and to apply entrepreneurial thinking to the workplace.

Minister of Education, Hon. Andrew Holness (third left), having a light discussion with (fromleft): President, Junior Achievement Jamaica, Alphie Mullings-Aiken; Mission Director, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Dr. Karen Hilliard; student of William Knibb High School, Decia Gillespsie and Senior Vice President, Latin America and the Caribbean and Asia, Junior Achievement Worldwide, Dr. Linda Rimer, at the official launch of the Junior Achievement Project, today (May 6), at the Knutsford Court Hotel.

Minister of Education, Hon. Andrew Holness, in his remarks at the launch, said that the programme represents an investment in nation building.
“I am very happy that we are.placing within the schools, this project, which will support the economy. This is not just an exercise in education, but this is an exercise in ensuring our recovery from crisis,” he stated.
He argued that there should be greater connection between the education sector and the economy. “Your education system must support your economy because it is in the education system that all your economic actors will learn the role they play in Jamaica,” he pointed out.
Mission Director, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Dr. Karen Hilliard, said that the project will have an even greater impact on young people’s lives by giving them the opportunity to excel.

Minister of Education, Hon. Andrew Holness, speaking at the launch of the Junior Achievement Project, today (May 6), at the Knutsford Court Hotel. Looking on are: President, Junior Achievement Jamaica, Alphie Mullings-Aiken (second left), and Mission Director, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Dr. Karen Hilliard.

She said it will help to make the school curriculum more relevant and promote student development in practical areas that will serve them throughout their lives. “By investing in young people, we invest in a stronger and more qualified work force for the years to come,” she stated.
Junior Achievement Worldwide is the world’s largest organisation dedicated to educating students about work readiness, reaching 9.7 million students per year in 379,968 classrooms and after school locations.
Junior Achievement programmes are taught by volunteers in inner cities, suburbs and rural areas in over 122 countries around the world.
Dr. Hilliard informed that globally, Junior Achievement has successfully prepared young people to start or expand businesses.
Sponsors of the project locally include the Ministry of Education, USAID, Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), General Electric, and First Caribbean.