Junior Achievement of Western New York partners with area organizations to raise awareness for new virtual Career Exploration Learning Experience

News Release
December 3, 2021

For more information:
Lisa Roy
Senior Development Manager
716-853-1381, ext. 212
lroy@jawny.org

Junior Achievement of Western New York partners with area organizations to raise awareness for new virtual Career Exploration Learning Experience

(Williamsville, NY) – Junior Achievement of Western New York is pleased to partner with area industry associations and chambers of commerce to engage in meaningful efforts to better connect area middle and high school students with the local business community, jobs, and employer prospects in our WNY and Central Upstate regions. This is accomplished through an innovative program called JA Inspire Virtual.

JA Inspire™ Virtual is a collaboration of education and industry leaders focused on providing thousands of students with the tools they need for future success. The digital curriculum is aligned with career and work readiness standards required by New York State and will be infused into middle and/or high school students’ coursework. At the center of this coursework is a powerful online event, the JA Inspire Virtual Career Fair, that will showcase the careers specific to our 33-county region of WNY and Central Upstate NY at a time when students can plan their high school coursework and better prepare themselves for life after high school graduation.

Our partners below will help us increase connections between students and industry experts.

Buffalo Niagara Manufacturing Alliance

Buffalo Niagara Partnership

Buffalo Niagara Sales and Marketing Executives

Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce

Construction Exchange of Buffalo and WNY

Genesee County Business Education Alliance

Niagara Frontier Industry Education Council

In a recent blog post by Jack Kosakowski , JA USA President & CEO, regarding corporate responsibility he states, “As a society, we need to do a better job of tying education to work and career outcomes so that we don't end up with such a significant disparity between people looking for jobs and jobs looking for people. This includes helping young people draw the connection between what they are learning in school and its application to success outside of the classroom. This means helping students explore their interests, talents, and strengths and linking them to an educational pathway that results in the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and competencies needed to find meaningful and rewarding jobs and careers. This also means putting them in contact with successful professionals in their communities who can serve as role models to inspire them to be the next engineer, technician, educator, skilled tradesperson, or physician, and not necessarily the next social media star.”

To join the ranks of WNY businesses, schools, and volunteers who are sharing their time and talent to inspire and prepare the next generation, contact Alycia Ivancie at aivancie@jawny.org. For more information about Junior Achievement sponsorship, contact Lisa Roy at lroy@jawny.org.

Junior Achievement is the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating students in kindergarten through 12^th grade about financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and career & work readiness through experiential, hands-on programs. In the 2020-2021 school year, Junior Achievement of WNY enriched the lives of 8,679 students in 139 schools and community organizations throughout the eight counties of Western New York. For more information about Junior Achievement and how you can make a difference in a child’s life, visit our Web site at www.jawny.org, follow us on Twitter at @JAofWNY, or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jaofwny.