New JA Program Targets Workforce Skills Gap
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Junior Achievement USA has launched a new high school program, JA Career Success, to help close the workforce skills gap, JA announced Tuesday.
The program was underwritten by a $1.1 million grant from Accenture and reflects the company's Skills to Succeed initiative that by 2015 aims to equip 500,000 people around the world with the skills they need to get a job or build a business.
JA Career Success delivers both career exploration and work-readiness skills through hands-on, interactive program activities, including Junior Achievement's first digital app, JA Success Park. During its first year, the program is projected to reach 85,000 students.
"JA Career Success was created to address an unmet need among students," said Jack E. Kosakowski, president and CEO of Junior Achievement USA. "In a recent survey, more than one-third of employers are unable to find the talent their organizations need. In addition to hard skills such as math and science, our young people also require 21st-century skills such as problem-solving and collaboration to be well-rounded professionals that get, and keep, jobs in high-growth industries."
JA Career Success helps students identify their desired careers and better understand how to develop the skills necessary to achieve success, Kosakowski noted.
As part of the curriculum, students learn how to effectively conduct a job search, how best to respond to common interview questions, and how positively building their personal brand can translate to a rewarding career.
The program's app, JA Success Park, aims to extend the learning opportunity, allowing students to connect within and beyond the classroom through interactive challenges.
JA Success Park was designed as an amusement park where students apply their knowledge of the four C’s (critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity), best business practices, good customer service and conflict resolution at each attraction to unlock fun throughout the park. The JA Success Park app is designed for Android and iPad tablets and is free of charge on Google Play and the Apple App Store.
JA Career Success is a high school level, kit-based program delivered through seven volunteer-taught sessionsL Critical Thinking and Creativity, Communication and Conflict Management Skills, Collaboration and Creativity and Strong Soft Skills, Know Your Work Priorities, Know Who's Hiring and Know Your Personal Brand.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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