JA New Jersey to Launch JA Inspire Virtual Career Expo Featuring Nearly 100 New Jersey Companies

Edison, NJ, May 18, 2021

Junior Achievement of New Jersey (JANJ) will launch the JA Inspire Virtual Career Expo on May 20, 2021, which will host nearly 100 businesses covering a wide range of career pathways. The learning experience is offered at no cost to schools and organizations.  Due to the unprecedented circumstances of the pandemic, this reimagined career exploration initiative is designed to expose 10,000 students to the extensive career opportunities available to them across New Jersey and ignite their interest in preparing for their futures. Students will have the unique opportunity to learn about diverse employers, local high-growth industries, numerous career pathways, and the education required for these jobs, with candid insight from industry professionals. For businesses, this career exploration initiative will offer brand exposure and an opportunity to introduce their worlds of work to NJ’s workforce pipeline, enabling young people to envision themselves as a part of our state’s economy. 

In continuing JANJ’s mission to inspire and prepare young people for economic success, this interactive learning initiative will help develop a skilled workforce pipeline across New Jersey in collaboration with businesses and schools. To carry out this objective, the interactive digital program will offer students self-guided or educator-lead digital lessons about diverse career-specific curriculum, and employability skills.  From there, students will have not only the motivated mindset to pursue an active independent career search, but the fundamental understandings of different career pathways and connecting them to the real world. 

“The past year has been transformative for so many, primarily our youth. Our mission at JANJ is to inspire and prepare our emerging young leaders for success” said Catherine Milone, President of JA New Jersey. “This incredible virtual experience will enable the next generation to take charge by exploring company booths, learning about career pathways, and engaging in Q&A with corporate volunteers, all in the comfort of their dwelling.”

The moment students log into the JA Inspire Virtual Career Expo, they will enter the virtual conference lobby. As students make their way through the virtual exhibit hall filled with New Jersey companies, they will be able to explore interactive virtual booths bolstered by information about job openings, enlightening videos about career pathways, empowering webinars presented by career experts, and educational documents about various occupations. Additionally, students will interact with volunteers from the participating companies using chat functionality, encouraging the importance of career inquisitiveness through self-exploration. This interactive environment will enable students to take initiative and explore many occupations, particularly unfamiliar ones. 

Throughout the virtual learning experience, students will be equipped with ‘virtual’ backpacks to collect employer information to have as a reference after the program. The post-expo experience will be just as invigorating as students will have on-demand access for 90 days for students to return periodically on their own time. Through this interactive learning initiative, our young leaders of today and tomorrow will learn to link their classroom learning to the various career opportunities available in their home state and get a head start on planning for their futures. 

JA Inspire Virtual Career Expo Sponsors:

ADP, AIG, Allstate, Bayshore Recycling, Bayway Refinery, Bristol Myers Squibb, Chick-fil-A, Citizens Bank, CNA, Colliers, Deloitte, ETS, Fidelity Investments, Franklin Templeton, Genmab, Holman Enterprises, HSBC, IBEW 269, Investors Bank, Johnson & Johnson, Kearny Bank, Lockheed Martin, New Jersey Resources, New Jersey State Police, NJCCIC, NJM, NRG Energy, Prudential, Quest Diagnostics, Sanofi, South Jersey Industries, UPS, US Army, and Williams.

All Participating Companies:

Adecco Group, ADP, AIG, Allstate, Atlantic City Electric, AT&T, Bayshore Recycling, Bayway Refinery, BDO, Bristol Myers Squibb, CDW, Chick-fil-A, Church & Dwight, Citizens Bank, CNA, Colliers, Crowe, CTBC Bank, Dancker, Deloitte, ETS, EY, Fidelity Investments, FirstEnergy / JCP&L, Franklin Templeton, Fulton Bank, Genmab, Goldman Sachs, Grant Thornton, Herc Rentals, Holman Enterprises, Honeywell, HSBC, IBEW 269, Infineum, Investors Bank, Janssen, Johnson & Johnson, Kearny Bank, KPMG, Lincoln Investment, Lockheed Martin, M&T Bank, Marriott International, Merck, Morgan Stanley, Munich RE, New Jersey Resources, New Jersey State Police, NexGen Financial Group, NJ Business & Industry Association, NJCCIC, NJM, NJ Department of Education, NJ Department of Transportation, NRG Energy, Oliver Wyman, OnPoint Strategic Planning, Prudential, PwC, Quest Diagnostics, Rowan University, Raritan Valley Community College, Sanofi, Santander, South Jersey Industries , State Farm, Tiffany & Co., UPS, U.S. Army, Verisk, Verizon, and Williams.

To get involved with JA Inspire 2022, please contact Ashley Donecker, VP Development & Communications at (908) 656-1663 or by email at adonecker@ja.org.