Often, the experiences of high school will set the course for many years to come: pursuing higher education, entering the work force, becoming a parent.

Whatever the choice, students need to see these options and prepare for the future by developing the skills needed to prosper in a progressively more independent lifestyle.

JA Economics This is a semester-length economics course taught by a certified teacher. Volunteers from the business community help the students relate economic concepts and business principles to real-life situations. It is taught by an economics teacher in partnership with a business volunteer who makes 8 visits to the class during during the semester.

JA Success Skills This program focuses on developing students’ interpersonal effectiveness.  Through an assessment, the students identify the strengths and unique potentials of their interpersonal skills.  They examine how their interpersonal skills match careers of interest to them, develop resumes, and practice their skills in mock job interviews.  They begin work on a skill portfolio that they can carry with them into the work force when seeking employment.  Volunteers present activities once a week over an 8-week period.  The curriculum includes workbooks and a video assessment with scoring software.

JA Company Program This program allows students the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of running a company. During the semester company members sell stock, elect officers, make and sell products, pay wages, keep books, and generally do everything that a "real business" would.

GLOBE Junior Achievement's GLOBE program fosters cultural understanding between students of different countries while teaching the fundamentals of international trade. Through participating in this program, students in the United States can run an import/export company with their counterparts from another nation. Like all of Junior Achievement's other programs, GLOBE features a volunteer from the community who will visit the classroom and conduct activities and lead discussions.

The program includes:

• teaches students the basics of foreign trade
• creates student managed international companies
• develops students' appreciation for customs of other countries
• challenges students to analyze economic data and develop trade strategies

JA Titan The school edition is a web-based business simulation where students learn how to make price, production, capital investment, marketing, and research and development decisions for their fictional Holo-Generator companies.   Students can also access JA Titan on their own, playing against the computer or other users around the country.  It is designed to show the success or failure of a company based on how well key issues are managed. Students can log on at htt://titan.ja.org.

JA Job Shadow Day Every year, starting in February, middle grades and high schools students across America “shadow” a workplace mentor, observing  a normal day on the job.  Students get an up-close look at how the skills learned in school relate to the workplace, creating the link between academics and careers.  For employers, job shadowing offers both an introduction to the workforce of tomorrow and the opportunity to help students explore career options, while sharing what it takes to achieve goals.  Job Shadow Day is the joint effort of a national coalition comprised of America’s Promise, Junior Achievement, and the US Department of Labor.