About JA :: What's New

 

Accenture receives JA Worldwide Extreme Partnership Award

 

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release:
January 13, 2010

ACCENTURE NAMED AS 2009 JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT
EXTREME PARTNERSHIP AWARD RECIPIENT

JA and Accenture work to prepare young people to succeed in the global economy

Colorado Springs, Colo. - Today, Junior Achievement (JA) announced that the prestigious 2009 JA Worldwide Extreme Partnership Award goes to Accenture, the global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, and the Accenture Foundation. Accenture has a long-standing relationship with Junior Achievement, involving funding, board participation and volunteer activity. JA Worldwide is supported by Accenture offices around the world.

The annual JA Extreme Partnership Award was created to recognize one JA Worldwide board company that has made a significant, strategic, global impact on all levels of the organization for at least three consecutive years. Minimum support in each year must include international funding of US$1 million, 1,000 volunteers, and board leadership in at least 10 Junior Achievement locations around the world, in addition to the board of JA Worldwide.

"Junior Achievement values its partnership with Accenture. The deep engagement of Accenture volunteers and board members promotes JA's outreach and program goals," said Sean C. Rush, president and CEO of JA Worldwide. "Accenture's grant and pro bono work has supported the development of a global technology platform to help Junior Achievement support future operations and fulfill its mission to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy."

In 2008-09, Accenture provided worldwide program support that included more than 1,000 volunteers (classroom volunteers, pro bono service providers and board members) and funding and in-kind donations exceeding $2.6 million. Accenture provided $617,000 in funding to 31 local JA Member offices around the world and employees served on 24 local JA boards. At the global level, Accenture provided $2 million (cash and in-kind) in support of JA Worldwide's Business Transformation Initiative, a global technology platform.

"In this fast-changing world, skills are a key driver of economic empowerment," said Adrian Lajtha, chief leadership officer at Accenture. "Junior Achievement and Accenture work together in communities around the world to help young people learn the skills they need to build confidence and capabilities that will, ultimately, help open doors to employment and independence. These efforts are very well aligned with Accenture's global corporate citizenship agenda -- Skills to Succeed -- which focuses on building skills that enable people to develop themselves to participate in and contribute to the economy."

About JA Worldwide® (JA)
Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated volunteer network, Junior Achievement provides in-school and after-school programs for students which focus on three key content areas: work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. Today, 129 individual area operations reach more than four million students in the United States, with an additional 5.7 million students served by operations in 121 other countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.ja.org.

# # #