JA Worldwide Impact Report
At JA, we celebrate all forms of impact, from those that incubate global social movements to those that foster better outcomes for individuals, families, and communities. Since our founding, millions of JA alumni have built new ventures from the ground up, won election to the highest political offices, studied at leading universities, and invented products that have revolutionized industries. Millions more have built ethical and sustainable small businesses that help the world meet the challenges of the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development. And millions of other JA alumni have achieved less well-known—but no less laudable—successes, like being the first in their families to graduate from college, spending less than they earn in order to save for retirement, and becoming respected and effective leaders.
As a result of their JA experiences, our alumni start more companies, hire more employees, and produce significantly larger annual sales than ventures led by non-alumni. Our alumni also save more, hold less debt, and are less likely to spend more than they earn. JA alumni report higher levels of household income and career satisfaction. And they’re less likely to drop out of school, face unemployment, or collect social insurance. You’ll learn more about this data throughout the JA Worldwide Impact Report.
Building on the success of the Entrepreneurial Skills Pass (ESP) microcredential that JA Company Program graduates receive in Europe, JA Worldwide has created a Center of Excellence for Impact Measurement based in Europe. The center’s services are available to the entire JA network.
The center focuses primarily on impact measurement related to JA’s entrepreneurship pillar, targeting young people who have participated in JA programs or activities between the ages of 15 and 25 . . . generally those in secondary education, vocational or technical education, and early-university education, but may include young people who are not in education or training.
Ready to contact the Center of Excellence? Complete the following form!
Entrepreneurial Skills Pass
The Entrepreneurial Skills Pass—JA’s first microcredential—is a global certification of skills and experiences. Students who earn the ESP certify the skills and competencies they acquire through the JA Company Program, giving them a competitive advantage when entering the job market, as well as access to traineeships, apprenticeships, mentoring, and more.
Students aren’t the only beneficiaries. Through the ESP, teachers have access to a quality assessment tool that measure students’ learning progress, offers personalized support, and identifies areas for improvement. And businesses have access to a pool of qualified graduates with the skills they seek.
Developed by JA Europe with the support of the European Commission, the ESP continues to be coordinated by JA Europe staff as it goes global. And it has gone global, with 53 JA locations in all six JA regions (Europe, Africa, Americas, MENA, Asia Pacific, and USA) offering the microcredential. Scroll down for examples of how JA Europe using the ESP as a student-recruitment tool.
Consider other advantages of offering the ESP in your country:
Unique selling feature for the JA Company Program: No other organization offers such a combination of practical experience and global certification
Measuring and communicating impact of the program: Use the results to evaluate the impact of the JA Company Program on students’ learning outcomes and adopt it as part of your selling/advocacy strategy toward donors and public institutions
Monitoring tool to inform program changes: Use the Entrepreneurial Skills Pass results to implement updates and modernization of your learning experiences; benchmarking across countries and sharing best practices
Ready to Be an ESP Country? Not Quite Sure? Send Us a Note
Student-Recruitment Resources
Impact Toolkit
Welcome to the first-ever JA Impact Toolkit. The purpose of this toolkit is for JA locations around the world to take a consistent approach to measuring program impact. For this toolkit, "impact" refers primarily to information about program outcomes, which can occur at the student, teacher, or community levels. This toolkit is also intended to help guide JA member nations and regions in building a data-driven culture, including creating systems for collecting data, analyzing and understanding results, and using impact information to inform programs and update stakeholders. We understand that JA locations sit within different national, political, social, and economic contexts and have varying needs. However, we believe that this diversity is a strength and that creating a common impact approach will highlight JA’s benefits in the long run.
Throughout this toolkit, you’ll find suggestions to help you demonstrate program impacts by identifying the best targets, planning data collection and evaluations, and connecting you and your team with the right people and organizations to execute your ideas. This toolkit is also intended to help you work with existing JA resources, such as our Entrepreneurial Skills Pass microcredential, and to collaborate with other JA locations to identify common goals, approaches, and funding sources.
Missed the webinar on understanding and using the JA impact toolkit? Find the recording here.
JA and The Global Goals
We’ve collaborated with our six regional operating centers to release JA's first worldwide publication about our alignment to The Global Goals for Sustainable Development. Head over to jaworldwide.org/globalgoals to peruse web content; watch videos featuring Lord Michael Hastings of KPMG, Dr. Mmantsetsa Marope of UNESCO-IBE, and Nicky Major of EY; and download our Global Goals booklet, showcasing inspiring JA alumni who are not only taking their place as the world’s job creators but also serving as a global force for good.
To download the booklet: PDF file
To customize the booklet using Adobe Illustrator: Illustrator (.ai) file