The Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce has donated ?434 to Junior Achievement.
The money was raised from a raffle held during a recent Chamber of Commerce networking lunch, at which BA CityFlyer had donated two return flights to London City. The funds will go towards supporting the work of the Manx charity that provides young people with experiential learning opportunities to prepare them for the world of work.
Junior Achievement’s chief executive Sue Cook said: ‘As the leading charity equipping students with work-readiness skills there are obvious synergies between Junior Achievement and the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce. Many of its members serve as our volunteer business mentors and offer their services for our interview workshops.
‘Business is having to change constantly and adapt to new economic realities. Understandably our schools are struggling to keep pace. The business community is vital to the success of Junior Achievement. It was against this background that we approached the Chamber of Commerce to ask if they might consider Junior Achievement in their fundraising plans, so we are delighted that the members agreed to donate the proceeds of their raffle to support our work.’
Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce chief executive Jane Dellar said: ‘We have seen the dedication with which Sue and her team are working to prepare students for when they leave education and go on to seek employment in what is a relentlessly competitive and contracting jobs market.
‘The long-term resilience of the Isle of Man’s economy will depend on there being a pool of local highly developed business talent on which to draw. We applaud Junior Achievement’s commitment to offer young people a realistic no-holds-barred insight into the world of work and, in so doing, help create the next generation of decision-makers and entrepreneurs.
‘Junior Achievement’s aims are closely aligned with the Chamber’s business-focused priorities, so members were pleased to lend their support with this donation.’
Photo - Chamber of Commerce president Michael Crowe and chief executive Jane Dellar, extreme right, present the Chamber’s cheque to Junior Achievement’s programme manager Joy Spence, extreme left, and chief executive Sue Cook. Picture Andrew Barton.
