In my role, I lead the team that has the opportunity to recruit and steward over 10,000 volunteers a year. Every day, 70-100 volunteers across Georgia coach our middle and high school students to prepare them for the future of work and the “real world” of adulthood.
The future of work will demand a set of skills and competencies in order for people to be ready to solve progressively complex problems in both collaborative and self-directed manners.
I vividly remember sharing the news with my family, expecting reactions of surprise, but receiving instead commentary that they’d “always assumed” I would be a business owner someday, echoing back to my history as a student and volunteer with Junior Achievement. My personal history with JA empowered me, and this summer I will celebrate 20 years of business ownership, thriving with revenues tenfold since purchase.
How do we ensure that we are arming students with the skills they need to be successful, not just for their own well-being, but for the overall success of our communities and economy?
Much has been made in recent months about “The Great Resignation,” the tendency of young workers, primarily Millennials and Generation Z, to quit their jobs to pursue higher-paying, higher growth opportunities. According to a recent survey by Adobe, factors contributing to turnover include pandemic-related burnout, the repetitiveness of duties, poor work/life balance, and general job dissatisfaction.