Understanding the role of Junior Achievement in Tanzania

Some of the lawyers who were admitted to the Bar by Chief Justice Willy Mutunga (centre) at the Supreme Court in Nairobi lon January 23, 2013. Judge Smokin Wanjala says devolution will raise demand for lawyers.

Junior Achievement (JA) inspires and prepares young people to compete in a global economy. Through participation in JA programs, students see the relevance of what they are learning in the classroom and its application to the real world, acquire or enhance the skills they need to be successful in the workforce or postsecondary institutions, and recognize the value of an education.

For students to acquire the knowledge and skills to be competitive in the workforce, they must be taught how to apply their knowledge to real-world issues or problems. “Unfortunately, most Tanzanian schools are not organized for application or contextualized instruction, even though we know that when we teach students how to apply knowledge, they retain it and perform well on tests.”

Junior Achievement programs help bridge the gap between what students are learning in the classroom and the application of this knowledge to the real world by using curriculum that is focused on application and the principles of experiential learning. And would attribute young people career in business to the positive experience, It is the only curriculum that can teach young people “real life” skills that could bring young people a substantial interest in learning.

Junior Achievement of Tanzania equips students with skills that are critical to their successful participation in the workforce and postsecondary education. Specifically, students in JAT improve their 21st-century skills, such as teamwork, decision-making, problem-solving, and critical thinking. They also improve skills that will make them more competitive in the workforce, including financial literacy and entrepreneurial skills. “Junior Achievement helps prepare students for working in a professional environment. In doing so, students gain valuable leadership skills as well as basic understanding of business principles that help in many settings.

In Tanzania the skills gap has not received considerable attention from policymakers concerned such that our country will no longer be able to effectively compete in the global marketplace and will perhaps require more workers from other countries to fill the current gap. In addition to the focus on workplace learning and boosting graduation rates, it is critical that policymakers, educators, and nonprofit organizations will be required to work together to ensure that the future workforce is adequately prepared with the knowledge and skills needed to meet the demands of employers. Junior Achievement of Tanzania is uniquely positioned to serve as a partner in this endeavor by equipping students with the skills they need to be college and career ready.

In fact corporations will be required to take steps to address the skills gap by investing significant resources into workplace learning and boosting the skills of their current workforce. This strategic focus will be needed to receiving attention from organizations such as Barclays Bank and City Bank that sponsor and give the best awards to Junior Achievement of Tanzania organizations that recognize enterprise-wide learning by equipping students with the skills they need to be college and career ready.  Winners of this award normally tend to devote more resources to workplace learning (measured on a per-employee and percent-of-payroll basis), enroll employees in more formal learning, and are committed to measuring the learning to organizational performance

The column is targeted on critical social issues and centered on the skills gap, and is provided with a detailed information about the increasing number of workers in Tanzania who lack the education and training needed to fill the demand of the current and future job market. It is estimated that there will be a shortage of million workers with bachelor’s degrees or higher in 2020, and millions will lack a required skills and knowledge needed to fill the labour market demand. 

This is what the valuable role Junior Achievement of Tanzania has in alleviating this problem. Junior Achievement programs show students the value of an education, bridge the gap of what they are learning in the classroom with the real world, and equip them with the skills and tools they need to be more successful in school and their future careers. “Junior Achievement helps students to figure out the direction they need to take after their high school. Learning about business, entrepreneurship, and leadership help them realize that they can overcome challenges and get what they want in life by working hard.