Our Mission: Inspiring and preparing young people for success
Each person’s future should be determined by choices, not chance. At Junior Achievement, we are committed to giving students opportunity-filled futures by helping them become confident, capable, competent, and connected to what the world has to offer.
How Junior Achievement Accelerates Economic Mobility
Junior Achievement’s learning experiences promote the transferable skills and competencies students need to take advantage of economic opportunity and achieve economic mobility. Our lessons use financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurial concepts to emphasize the importance of continuing education and training beyond high school, especially in high-growth, high-demand fields.
At the same time, our experiential learning approach ensures that students gain the critical and creative thinking, collaboration, communication, and technical literacy skills needed to become lifelong learners who can navigate “what’s next” in our ever-changing world.
Belief
In the boundless potential of young people.
Seek Out
Diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and talents in our staff, volunteers, and boards to reflect the communities we serve.
Nurture
The power of partnerships and collaboration.
Approach
Our work with passion, honesty, integrity, and excellence.
Teach
Principled market-based economics and entrepreneurship that build a more sustainable world.
Advocate
For relevant hands-on learning.
What We Do
At Junior Achievement of Central Ohio, we work hand in hand with education and business partners to deliver our proven lessons in financial literacy, work and career readiness, and entrepreneurship to K-12 students in Central and Southeast Ohio.
Research shows that JA Alumni are more likely to have a college degree, feel confident managing money, achieve career success, and start a business as adults.
Junior Achievement FAQs
Junior Achievement is the nation’s largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices.
Junior Achievement’s programs, in the core content areas of work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy, ignite the spark in young people to experience and realize the opportunities and realities of work and life in the 21st century.
Junior Achievement of Central Ohio supports K-12 students across 25 counties in central and southeast Ohio. We operate two learning centers, one in Columbus and one in Newark, each designed to serve school districts within about an hour’s drive. In addition to our centers, we can bring JA programs directly to classrooms in every county we serve.
A Junior Achievement Experiential Learning Center is a hands‑on, career‑connected learning environment where students build the mindsets, skillsets, and confidence needed for economic mobility. Through experiential programs focused on careers, money, and entrepreneurship, Learning Centers help students become confident, capable, and connected for what’s next.
Junior Achievement of Central Ohio operates two Learning Centers, in Columbus and Newark, that deliver JA BizTown and JA Finance Park, immersive programs that connect classroom learning to real‑world education, work, and financial decision‑making.
- Leadership: Join our Volunteer Champions Committee or Board of Directors
- Volunteerism: Keep sharing your time and expertise, individually or with a group.
- Financial Support: Big or small, any contribution helps us deliver programs like the one you are part of today.
Junior Achievement programs deliver proven impact by equipping students with the real‑world skills and experiences needed for economic mobility. A national Ipsos study found that 87% of JA alumni say their JA experience influenced them to continue their education, pursue jobs, or pursue skills training, and 92% agree that JA better prepares students for a future shaped by automation and AI. These outcomes show that JA’s experiential, career‑connected learning helps students become more prepared, more confident, and better positioned for what’s next in education and the workforce.
Meet Our People
Explore more about the passionate individuals behind Junior Achievement:
Staff
Our staff is committed to making your experience working with us absolutely the best!
Leadership
Meet the passionate and committed team that is working hard to empower our youth.
Board
Our Board Members include the finest business and individual leaders in our community.
