Pipeline AZ, an Arizona career development and job skills exploration platform, and Junior Achievement of Arizona, a workforce, entrepreneurship and financial literacy preparation program for Arizona students, announced a new collaborative partnership pairing each organization’s unique tools and services to create a comprehensive and robust career readiness solution for Arizona K-12 students. This partnership will connect Arizona educators, employers, and students that participate in Junior Achievement under the singular Pipeline AZ platform, providing turn-key career development solutions that prepare students to succeed in work and life and put employers in direct contact with their future workforce.
“This collaboration is a significant step up for our kids. Pipeline AZ’s innovative platform perfectly augments our proven programming and provides a comprehensive solution to streamline the career exploration journey for middle and high school students. Better still, the partnership simplifies the workload for educators who typically guide that exploration,” said Anne Landers, Vice President of Strategic Impact at Junior Achievement of Arizona. “Our curriculum combined with Pipeline AZ’s tools will maximize our impact on building and supporting the next generation of our workforce.”
Junior Achievement will now incorporate Pipeline AZ’s various tools and resources to elevate the career exploration process for participating students:
- Students will have access to Pipeline AZ’s assessment and online career exploration tools into Junior Achievement’s core programs, which will build student awareness of various career opportunities on a local level.
- Students will be able to integrate their career journey with My Future AZ, the new standardized career exploration tool recently announced by the Arizona Department of Education in partnership with Pipeline AZ.
- School districts throughout Arizona will have access to begin implementing this enhanced programming, which aligns with state education requirements and simplifies curriculum for teachers.
- K-12 students who participate in Junior Achievement programs will receive a more personalized learning experience around their potential career paths.
- Arizona-based employers will have direct access to their future workforce through volunteer, sponsorship and exposure opportunities.
“Through their various programs, Junior Achievement has always done such great work to help our community’s youth learn practical life skills and explore possible careers. We are proud to partner with them to prioritize and enhance the career exploration process for students across the state,” said Katherine Pappas, Pipeline AZ Director of Workforce Strategy. “With partnerships like this, Arizona is becoming the model for getting our kids ready for a rewarding career and creating a true talent pipeline for our many thriving industries. We hope to incorporate new partners in the future so that the career exploration process, a vital part of workforce development, will no longer be so fractured.”
Junior Achievement of Arizona’s programming, including JA Inspire, JA Finance Park, JA Be Entrepreneurial, JA Career Success and JA Job Shadow, teaches students work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. Pipeline AZ is a career development and job skills platform with assessments and industry/career exploration tools for local opportunities. Jointly, both organization’s curriculum and resources boost student career planning and goals in K-12 education statewide.
Pipeline AZ is an initiative of the Partnership for Economic Innovation, a passionate collective of business and community leaders dedicated to accelerating Arizona’s economic opportunities. In addition to partnering with Junior Achievement, Pipeline AZ has also recently announced similar collaborations with the Arizona Department of Education as well as Maricopa County Community College District. The work of Pipeline AZ is made possible in part by the Maricopa County Industrial Development Authority.
Junior Achievement of Arizona (JA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that equips Arizona students to succeed in work and life by giving them the knowledge and skills they need to manage their money, plan for their future, and make smart academic, career and economic choices. Since 1957, JA has taught kids, kindergarten through high school, about financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. The organization’s hands-on, age-appropriate programs are delivered by more than 8,000 corporate and community volunteers. Despite educational obstacles during the pandemic, JA reached more than 65,000 students in the 2020-2021 school year. Follow @JAArizona on social media or visit jaaz.org/resources for more free online educational tools.
Pipeline AZ is a career development and exploration platform that creates pathways to in-demand careers by connecting the dots between industry and education. It uses skills mapping technology to help job seekers discover new paths or level up in their existing careers while also serving as a valuable recruiting tool for employers. Pipeline AZ is an initiative of the Partnership for Economic Innovation.
Partnership for Economic Innovation is a passionate collective of business and community leaders dedicated to accelerating Arizona’s economic opportunities. We believe innovators are problem solvers who come from anywhere, if they have access to pathways to do so — which is why PEI is investing in community-building technology and R&D designed to make Arizona more resilient and empower innovators to bring world-changing ideas to market. PEI initiatives include:
- Pipeline AZ, a career exploration platform creating more transparent pathways to advanced industry jobs and connecting Arizona workers to any training they might need to get there.
- The Connective, Greater Phoenix’s internationally acclaimed Smart Region collaborative, convening cities, industries and entrepreneurs to lay the open innovation groundwork to solve regional challenges.
- WearTechand Blockchain Applied Research Centers are accelerating the development of emerging technology products with the potential to radically transform healthcare, keep us safer and more secure.
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