Introduction:

Junior Achievement (JA) is a practical business education programme, which provides hands on experience of the operations of a business and an undertaking of the free enterprise system. The programme aims to promote economic literacy and an understanding of business by providing insights into the values, responsibilities and general operations of market-driven economies. It provides motivation for leadership through development of skills, abilities and confidence in the operation of a business.

Junior achievement was started in the United States in 1919 by Horace Moses, the CEO of Statmore Paper Company. The present model was adopted in 1926 where Junior Achievement was incorporated. Since then the programme has been extended to over 100 other countries, providing business experience for millions of young people in every corner of the world.

Caribbean JA

The programme has been in the region for over 30 years with ten participation Caribbean territories providing the JA experience to thousands of students each year. They include Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cayman Islands, Grenada, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia and St. Vincent.

JA of Grenada

Junior Achievement of Grenada is a project of the Grenada Chamber of Industry and Commerce and began in Grenada in 1986 with the operation of two JA companies. The programme is now in its nineteenth year in secondary schools around the island including Carriacou and Petit Martinique.

By providing personnel and facilities for the JA Companies, the programme is able to promote economic literacy, provide role models and serve as a laboratory for the operation of a small business. Young people will in turn be able to acquire job experience and cultivate managerial habits by planning strategies, setting goals and monitoring progress by keeping records.