Junior Achievement, Brazosport College to hold annual JA Inspire event virtually

Junior Achievement of Brazoria County, in partnership with Brazosport College and other local businesses, is set to bring eighth-grade students an opportunity to explore career endorsement areas via a safe, virtual avenue this year.

Approximately 500 eighth-grade students from Columbia-Brazoria, Damon and Sweeny ISD’s, as well as Angleton and Brazosport Christian schools, are set to participate in the virtual JA Inspire event from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on December 11.

JA Inspire focuses on career opportunities, real-world talks and demonstrations from local experts. The event is in response to House Bill 5 from the 83^rd Texas Legislative Session, which requires students to choose their career path by the spring of their eighth-grade year.

This year’s virtual platform is sponsored by Texas Workforce Solutions. This platform is typically used for job fairs, but with this partnership we are forging new ground and utilizing it to help youth with career exploration and deciding their future pathways.

Students will have live Zoom presentations from a variety of career speakers delivered straight into their classrooms and homes. The platform will then be open to all county students through Monday, December 14 with links to even more career speakers and career information. These presentations will help provide students with a more focused, in-depth career study.

Businesses need students who are inspired by the opportunities that await them. If students have a chance to learn about the skills and qualifications needed for these opportunities, they can begin to prepare for a successful future. For the past six weeks, the students have been participating in the “JA It’s My Future” curriculum lessons and the capstone of the curriculum is the JA Inspire event.

Guest speakers from arts & humanities, business, industry & manufacturing, public service and STEM are set to participate in the program. Within these paths we have speakers and presentations representing a range of careers, including banking, food and natural resources, law enforcement, culinary arts, event planning, restaurant management, marketing, nursing, engineering, process tech and construction. Speakers will Zoom in and talk to students about their education, their journey in these fields, local opportunities, salary potential and soft skill needs.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for these students to hear from practicing professionals about the opportunities that exist right here in our community,” said Kim Effenberger, President of Junior Achievement of Brazoria County. “Students will not have to blindly select a career path as they choose their classes for their freshman year of high school. JA Inspire helps provide them with a foundation.”

The event is made possible through the support of numerous community businesses and organizations, Effenberger added.

Chevron Phillips Chemical is once again the Presenting Sponsor, with additional funding from BASF, Dow Chemical, United Way and Union Pacific helping to support the effort.

Those interested in being part of the event may contact Kim Effenberger at (979) 549-0800 or Kimberly.effenberger@ja.org.