Junior Achievement USA®, in partnership with The Hartford, announced a second year of funding to support the growth of JA Company Programs throughout the United States.
Junior Achievement USA®, in partnership with The Hartford, announced a second year of funding to support the growth of JA Company Programs throughout the United States. The JA Company Program®, provides aspiring teen entrepreneurs with the skills and real-world experience to become the entrepreneurs of tomorrow. The JA Company Program includes 13 new modular experiences as part of a blended-learning approach that offers groups of students the opportunity to understand the steps involved in launching their own businesses while learning the basics of entrepreneurship, financial literacy and business success.
The sessions contain interactive content, including vodcasts led by subject matter experts that explore concepts such as brainstorming a product or service. Lessons also discuss the importance of conducting market research to refine the product or service to meet consumers’ evolving needs.
“The JA Company Program gives students the opportunity to play a greater leadership role in the process with volunteers encouraging them to find their voice and spark the entrepreneurial spirit,” Jennifer Connolly, President of JA of Western Massachusetts. “They have the opportunity to apply concepts used by this generation’s entrepreneurs, such as e-commerce and crowd-funding. Since The Hartford initiated their JA Company Program Communities with Hart Incentive Grant, JA of Western Massachusetts has seen a the number of students participating in the JA Company Program more than double.”
The revised JA Company Program is the result of a $1.5 million investment from The Hartford to support 100,000 students through Junior Achievement. The Hartford’s commitment supports its Communities with HART ongoing efforts to encourage the well-being of America’s communities by enabling today’s small businesses to grow and inspiring a new generation of small business leaders.
“The Hartford is proud to partner with Junior Achievement and serve as the title sponsor of its flagship JA Company Program,” said The Hartford’s Chief Executive Officer Christopher J. Swift. “We encourage the students of today to become the successful entrepreneurs of tomorrow, a commitment that grows out of our passion for helping small businesses prevail.”
The JA Company Program is Junior Achievement’s longest running program, beginning in 1919 when JA was founded in Springfield, MA. Today, nearly half a million students globally flex their entrepreneurial spirit each year with JA Company Program.
To learn more about JA Company Program and inquire about how to bring it to local schools, visit Junior Achievement.
About The Hartford
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About JA of Western Massachusetts
Junior Achievement is the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating young people about business, economics and free enterprise. Through a dedicated volunteer network, JA provides in-school and after-school programs for students in grades K-12. JA offers educational programs that focus on seven key content areas: business, citizenship, economics, entrepreneurship, ethics/character, financial literacy, and career development. Today more than Junior Achievement Worldwide reaches almost seven million students in 98 countries. For more information, visit www.jawm.org.