2020-2021 JA Company Program

About JA Company Program

Developed by Junior Achievement of Northern New England (JAofNNE), the JA Company after-school program brings together highly-motivated high school students to explore the world of business by forming and managing their own company under the mentorship of corporate professionals and community volunteers.

JA Company Program address topics such as business ethics, teamwork, leadership, and goal-setting, as well as how students should execute the day-to-day operations of their entrepreneurial venture. Over the course of 18 weekly meetings, students elect their own leadership team, develop and execute a business plan, produce and sell a product, hold department meetings to report on their progress, and build relationships with other students and their mentors. Through the guidance of their mentors, student participants develop the soft skills they need to prepare them to be successful in a global workforce, which they cannot learn in school.

The JA Company Program has been hosted at colleges, corporate and community-based sites in the Greater Boston Area including: AIG, Wayfair, SunTrust Bank, Eaton Vance, Northern Essex Community College and Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation. Mentors help the students develop marketing, sales, finance, management, and other skills needed to successfully run their companies. By sharing their respective backgrounds and experiences, mentors provide career and educational highlights to help students understand various career paths.

Previous JA Company Program participants have been given the opportunity to participate in the JA Regional Pitch Competition and the JA National Student Leadership Summit, gain access to JA scholarships, and speak before influential leaders at JA events such as the Spirit of JA Celebration.