Junior Achievement Program Helps Kids Prepare for Careers

Posted Wednesday, May 3, 2006

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Atlanta, GA – In February, thousands of students throughout Georgia went to work for a day. Businesses hosted middle and high school students at their workplace as part of JA Job Shadow Challenge Month. Thanks to these businesses’ efforts, 5,663 middle and high school students received job shadow experiences during this period, exceeding JA’s goal of serving 5,000 students across the state. JA Job Shadow, a program that runs throughout the school year, provides students with an up-close look at the world of work and emphasizes the important connection between what students are learning in school and how that learning is applied in the workplace.

Students receive an overview of the company and get to spend time with individual employees learning more about different departments and specific roles within each department. At AirTran Airways, students had the opportunity to check passengers in at the gate; at Starbucks, students learned the fine art of coffee tasting through participating in a company tasting. Students at the Cingular Wireless job shadow were able to preview new products. JA Job Shadow experiences are as diverse as the companies that participate, but they all provide students with exposure to different industries and knowledge about what training and skills are necessary for various careers. Most important, JA Job Shadows emphasize the importance of staying in school, no matter what career a student chooses to pursue.

In addition, several dozen lucky high school students in Metro Atlanta won positions shadowing “high profile” hosts in the fields of media and entertainment, sports, government or business. Opportunities included shadowing Governor Sonny Perdue, news anchor Daryn Kagan from CNN, corporate decision-makers, and disc jockeys from 99X and 790 The Zone. One student even got to host a radio show on 95.5 The Beat. Two students traveled to Washington D.C. to shadow Senator Saxby Chambliss and Representative Tom Price and spent the day on Capitol Hill.

JA Job Shadow plays an important role in shaping students’ futures. According to an independent study conducted by the Worldwide Institute for Research and Evaluation (WIRE), 79% of students indicated that JA Job Shadow had a large impact on their desire to stay in school. 72% of the students reported that the program made a large contribution to their understanding of the relationship between education and work. 90% of students surveyed said that the most important thing learned was the exposure to different jobs. “Exposing students to the variety of careers available is critical to goal setting, encouraging academic success and setting the course for their futures,” says Donna Stone Buchanan, President of JA of Georgia. “Our business hosts benefit, too, by connecting with youth and seeing their own work through fresh eyes. JA is about bridging the business and education communities, and this program truly embodies that.”

1,516 5th-12th grade students were surveyed for the WIRE evaluation. The study is available online at www.ja.org.

About JA Job Shadow Challenge Month

On February 2, 2006, Junior Achievement of Georgia kicked-off its first annual JA Job Shadow Challenge Month in partnership with Monster.com and UPS. Throughout February, thousands of middle and high school students joined Georgia’s workforce for a day with an overall goal of providing 5,000 students with job shadow experiences during that time period. JA Job Shadow provides students with an opportunity to participate in the world of work, and to see first-hand how the knowledge and skills they learn in school are applied in the workplace.

About Junior Achievement of Georgia, Inc.

Using hands-on experiences, Junior Achievement of Georgia helps young people understand the “economics of life.” JA brings the real world to students, opening their minds to their potential by bridging the business and educational communities. JA’s success depends on the involvement of people who want to make a difference in the life of a child, which is possible through volunteering your time or donations. Based on demands from the school systems, JA of Georgia plans to impact 100,000 students statewide during the 2005-2006 school year through six district offices located in Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Dalton, Gainesville, and Savannah. For more information, visit www.georgia.ja.org

Source Atlantadaybook.com

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