Manx charity Junior Achievement’s work in the Island’s primary schools is to be strengthened after the Zurich Foundation provided a three-year grant to fund a part-time member of staff.
The charity delivers the ‘Our World’ programme to every primary school in the Isle of Man reaching 850 pupils in Year 5 and Year 6. The global insurer’s grant will see the appointment of a primary programme assistant to work alongside primary programme manager Lisa Morris.
Junior Achievement’s chief executive Sue Cook said: ‘We are very grateful to the Zurich Foundation for their support. This grant will ensure the continuity of delivery of the “Our World” programme. By introducing primary pupils to Junior Achievement programmes we help to build their confidence, skills and knowledge of the world of work. The same students will continue working with Junior Achievement when they make the transition from primary to secondary school.’
Dee Copley, head of HR for Zurich International said: ‘Zurich is delighted to be supporting young people on the island and the work of Junior Achievement. We are committed to making a positive, lasting impact on the local community of which Zurich is an integral part. For Zurich a huge focus is on youth empowerment, and we share Junior Achievement’s commitment to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. We know that this directly affects Zurich’s business – we need young people to be prosperous and able to participate in the workforce, as they will become our future employees, our future customers, maybe even our future shareholders.
‘Zurich has been a long-time supporter of Junior Achievement, providing classroom volunteers for a number of years. Our employees care passionately about the community they live and work in, and enjoy bringing real-world experience and financial knowledge into the classroom; preparing young students to be positive contributors in their local communities and beyond.’
Junior Achievement Isle of Man is a member of Junior Achievement Europe which works with 31,380 schools, with the help of 116,687 teachers and 164,363 business volunteers to empower 3,454,750 million students across 39 countries.
To find out more about Junior Achievement Isle of Man, visit jaiom.im.
