JA partnership reaches 100,000 students

Today Junior Achievement USA® (JA) is celebrating the success of its partnership with AT&T and the dedication of their employees to reach 100,000 students through the JA Job ShadowTM program. This program allows high school students to complete in-class sessions focused on work-readiness education and career perspectives. Then the students have the unique opportunity to visit a business and get real-life experiences of work environments by “shadowing” a professional for a day.

“AT&T’s partnership with Junior Achievement demonstrates their continued commitment to improving the high school graduation rates and to helping students achieve success,” said Belynda Clanton, Vice President of Programs at Junior Achievement of Oklahoma. “AT&T is dedicated to helping develop the skills and knowledge that will be recognized and valuable in a global workforce.”

Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to empowering young people to own their economic success. As a thought leader and a primary source for innovative work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy education, Junior Achievement inspires and prepares young people to succeed in a global economy.

AT&T’s commitment to Junior Achievement is clearly measured by its reach. More than 270,000 volunteer hours have been logged by AT&T employees at 1,800 events in 212 cities across 41 states. Junior Achievement and AT&T were able to reach the 100,000 student milestone 10 months ahead of the original goal set in 2008, when the partnership formed

“AT&T is showing its commitment to helping young people succeed and make the connection between what the students learn in the classroom and what is required in the workplace,” Clanton said. “The AT&T volunteers are enhancing the relevance of what the students learn in the classroom and increasing their understanding of the value of staying in school.”

Every day, 7,000 students drop out of high school in the United States.[1] Junior Achievement and AT&T understand that improving the high school graduation rate boosts U.S. competitiveness in the global economy. Junior Achievement’s financial literacy, work-readiness and entrepreneurship programs support youth, economic and education development: the three areas where JA is uniquely positioned to positively affect graduation rates and student success.

Junior Achievement and AT&T are working to elevate awareness around the importance of this national issue and the opportunities to be a part of the solution. The success of the AT&T/Junior Achievement initiative to impact 100,000 students through the JA Job Shadow program in four years highlights the success of the program, but also underscores the importance of keeping students in school and positively affecting the graduation rate.