With more than 5000 students reached in the last academic year and 400 volunteers recruited to support its work in schools Junior Achievement has ambitious targets for the future. Targets that have required the charity to review its long-term strategy.
The charity’s chief executive Sue Cook has said that by 2016 she wants 100 per cent of students in secondary education to have participated in three or more Junior Achievement programmes by the time they have left school.
Mrs Cook was speaking after Junior Achievement had completed a strategic review that looked at how best to maximise its limited resources to help young people develop skills for the workplace.
The review was bolstered by findings from Dr Anthony Mann, director of research at the Education and Employers Taskforce, a UK charitable body of academics, educationalists and employers working to strengthen links between education and the community, young people in particular.
Dr Mann’s research showed there was ‘a significant link’ between young people’s experience of the world of work while at school and the chances of their becoming NEET, (not in education, employment or training) as young adults.
Mrs Cook explained: ‘Dr Mann provided compelling evidence that young people who took part in four or more activities that involved engaging with employers were five times less likely to become a NEET, and he referred specifically to Junior Achievement programmes.
‘These findings are extremely encouraging and increase our resolve to give as many young people as possible a practical insight into the world of work and prepare them for the transition from school to career path. It’s also important we help young people gain a sense of perspective about their career aspirations and show them what real job prospects are likely to be on offer.
‘The work of Junior Achievement focuses on three key areas: work readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurship. At a time of global slowdown, uncertain economic recovery and increasing competition in a contracting jobs market never have these skills been more important for young people leaving full-time education.’
Mrs Cook went on to say that by 2016 Junior Achievement aimed to continue offering its core programmes free of charge and increase the number of primary school students taking part in its programmes from 23 to 50 per cent.
‘But in order to achieve these targets we have had to be clear-sighted and reinvent our mission,’ she explained. ‘In summary this means that from September this year our limited volunteer resource will be deployed in secondary schools, while in primary schools we will be asking teachers to run the programmes.
‘We shall continue to offer our core programmes free of charge, but will be looking at ways of raising additional funds for more specialist programmes such as CV preparation and interview techniques. If we are unable to raise the money it may be necessary to ask the schools to pay.
‘These are difficult times so we are having to adapt to new economic realities. We have, nevertheless, ambition for the future and our abiding task will always be to help young people develop the essential workplace skills they will need to succeed in a global economy.’
If you would like to fundraise or volunteer for Junior Achievement contact Sue Cook, sue.cook@jaiom.im or call 666266.
Photo - Junior Achievement chief executive Sue Cook. Picture Andrew Barton.
