Junior Achievement partnership initiates pathways to success for students in Latin America
At PPG, we share a similar goal with Junior Achievement (JA). Together, we help prepare young people for employment and entrepreneurship.
In Latin America, we hold a long-standing partnership with JA to deliver hands on, experiential learning in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship programming. As our employee volunteers engage with the program, we often keep in mind that the students who participate in JA today may be the PPG employees who inspire innovation in the future.
PPG volunteers demonstrate STEM careers
According to PPG chemical technician and volunteer with JA Brazil, Thiago Papani do Nascimento, the experience of working with JA abundantly rewarding. “Everything we give to them - time, attention, knowledge - we receive triple in return,” said Papani. “The JA STEM focused programs allow us volunteers to show to the students how important careers in this field are and demonstrate in a fun way how STEM careers will have an increasing presence in their lives.”
Educating students and creating pathways to success
We join the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating students and creating pathways for employability, job creation and financial success through several initiatives.
For nearly a decade, PPG Brazil has partnered with JA to support several programs reaching nearly 2,000 students. The programs include a personal finance program for high school students, an entrepreneurship program about globalization, citizenship and STEM careers possibilities, amongst others. One of the programs, "Innovation Camp," invites students to visit the PPG plant in Sumaré, where they spend a whole day with PPG volunteers to learn concepts about innovation, technology and business model development.
PPG Mexico has also participated in the JA Global Youth Forum in Morelos, Mexico. The forum brought together young people ages 16 to 21 globally for a week of world-class keynote speakers, alumni panels, entrepreneurship workshops, business competitions, recreational activities, team-building exercises and more.
Our partnership with JA expands to the U.S. as well. In fact, JA named Michael McGarry, PPG chairman and CEO, as the 2019 Golden Achievement Honoree for his personal accomplishments and leadership which have made a positive impact on the social, economic and cultural development of the Pittsburgh-region.