What is JA Inspire?
Now entering its fourth year, JA Inspire is a one-of-a-kind career and education exploration program for students in Central Florida. After multiple classroom learning sessions, nearly 100 area businesses and education partners come together to showcase various careers and education pathways needed to be a part of the future talent pipeline of Central Florida. Since 2018, JA Inspire has helped over 10,000 local 8th graders connect to area businesses to learn more about the work they do and the careers they offer. This interactive workforce development program also includes information about colleges, universities, apprenticeship programs, trade schools, and internships, so once a student is “inspired,” they can gather the information they need to begin a plan to achieve their goals.
Why JA Inspire?
Not all students receive career mentorship at home. In other cases, career exploration happens too late in a child’s school career and, by the time they’ve decided on a career path, class choices can cause their career goals to be unrealistic. JA Inspire is the largest program in the nation laser focused on middle school students having the opportunity to learn about careers from caring mentors in time to plan their high school coursework. For 8th grade students, JA Inspire will show young people the vast array of careers and education options available to become a part of Central Florida's talent pipeline.
What is new for 2021?
For JA Inspire 2021, we’re going 100% virtual! With the help of an online event platform, JA Inspire will happen entirely online in 2021. Our online platform will allow companies to design their virtual booths, hand out digital flyers, and allow for tons of videos to deliver the same critical information to students.