Achievement’ Students Look To Learn Entrepreneurial Skills (NAPSA)—Today’s teens hope to someday be their own bosses— and they want their education to work for them. That's thefinding from a recent survey showing that more than halfof teens would like to start their own businesses someday, and an overwhelming majority of them believe that entrepreneurial skills should be taught in school. However, 88 percent felt it would be “difficult but possible” or “somewhat challenging”to start their own business. Experts have echoed the teens’ call for education, saying lessons in entrepreneurship would better equip them with skills such as leadership, problem solving and critical thinking—abilities that are seen as keys to success in today’s global, knowledge-based eccnomy. Working Knowledge It’s a lesson not lost on Jack Kosakowski, president of Junior Achievement USA, the group that sponsored the survey. To help today’s teens become tomorrow’s business owners, the orga nization launched “JA Be Entrepreneurial.” Created through support from the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the program is targeted toward high school students. Through hands-on activities and the support of a classroom volunteer, it helps stu- Ati Achiewerent The majority of teens surveyed said they want to learn entrepreneurial skills in school. dents start and run their own business ventures. Future Success Kosakowski and others say the program could payoff for teens down the road. In fact, in a separate poll conducted by Junior Achievement and Gallup, 61 percent of employees and hiring managers said that being entrepre- neurial at their companies was either “very” or “somewhat” important. Additionally, 96 percent said that it was important for the American workforce to become “more entrepreneurial to remain competitive in the world.” Gaining An Edge You can visit www.ja.org to learn more about developing entrepreneurial skills and about Junior Achievement. The groupis the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating young people about work readiness and entrepreneurship, as well as financial literacy.
