What JAZ students get out of the JA Programme
Posted by Jo Ann Ross
on Dec 20, 2013
These are some of the questions made to the students at the end of their Company Programme – I print here the replies from the prize winning Rusape team from St Faith’s Mission
What is the most gratifying thing about your participation in Junior Achievement?
The most gratifying thing about our participation is that we work as a team, make decisions, and practice leadership to improve life and business skills whilst making a difference in the community. This then instilled a sense of achievement.
Also, being able to work with the community and professional people in the real business world, during consultancy has been pleasing because we have managed to gain new skills applicable for use in later in life. What is also gratifying is our ability to practice good citizenship through community service and realizing that we are creating employment for ourselves
What does your company do with its profits? How was that decision made?
Part of our company profits were given back to the community as part of our corporate social responsibility through donations and various projects. The remainder of those profits is then distributed among the shareholders of the company and its executives as dividends for their investment in the company, or reinvested in the company to improve company performance. This is in appreciation of a job well done. This decision was made after we had sat down as a company and decided on what to do with the profits and it was unanimous.
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What concepts have you learned that you know you will apply in your future career?
The concepts we have learned as a result of our JA experience are team- work, building rapport, risk taking, decision making, communication, budgeting, planning and innovativeness.
Communication itself has proved to be the key to proper team building and success. Risk taking and innovativeness go along together to produce a beneficial result. These concepts will definitely apply in our future as a company and as individuals
How have you changed or grown, either personally or professionally, as a result of your JA experience?
As a team we have grown in terms of confidence and perseverance. We are now able to undertake any new task presented to us in a professional manner showing both skill and technique. We are now also able to adapt into any environment and offer better competition where it is required.
This change has helped us in the projects we have undertaken. Also our attitude towards the global business environment has changed for the better as we can now see clearly what we must undertake.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
Being in business is not all about the money and profits; it is about being able to work as a team, learning, addressing a need, overcoming obstacles and keeping team motivated.
The Junior Achievement Program has shaped us into a future generation of entrepreneurs who can adapt to any economic environment. It has given us exposure to the outside world and has opened gates to unbelievable opportunities and experience