Become a volunteer

In My job programme, secondary school pupils practice future working life skills with functional methods. The programme supports pupil involvement and career planning and helps to understand the discovery and importance of one’s own strengths. As a representative of working life, you provide up-to-date information on working life and professions. 

As a JA volunteer:

1. You tell about your profession.  
   Each of us is best placed to tell about the skills you need to do your job.  You can visit the school, invite the children to visit your workplace or give them a task related to your work. 

2. You illustrate your working life skills with examples  
   As a representative of working life, you can provide tangible information about the working methods of society, working life or, for example, the importance of teamwork and interaction skills.  

3. You get new ideas and positive energy 
   In open interaction with young people, you get new perspectives, ideas and energy that you can utilize in your own work community. 

The Company programme and the JA programme are an opportunity for young people to experiment with entrepreneurship in a safe and guided way, as part of their studies. The JA entrepreneur is allowed to implement their own business idea, which is based on their own interests and expertise. The Company programme is available to secondary schools, upper secondary schools and higher education institutions.

JA company operates with real money and sells its products or services to real customers. This increases the effectiveness of the programme, increases the student’s motivation and brings genuine business elements to the activity. At the same time, students are encouraged to be active and to take initiative. 

Volunteers have an advisory role in the Company programme. As an advisor, it is your job to be yourself and share your experience of entrepreneurship with learners a few times during the programme. In total, the advisor is expected to spend approximately 5–10 hours per academic year on the task.  

JA Company in brief 

• JA company can be established by a learner who participates in the Company programme in their own educational institution.  
• The Company programme is aimed at secondary schools, upper secondary schools and higher education institutions. 
• Sales of the JA company are usually between 100 and 10 000 euros. Turnover limit of the JA company is in line with the threshold for low VAT activity, which is currently 15 000 euros.
• Profit from the JA company is the student’s personal income generation activity.  
• The JA company is provided with liability insurance and product liability insurance by Junior Achievement Finland.  
• The JA company is not an official company form and does not have a business ID

As an advisor for JA company?  

JA company will look for an advisor to support and spar the company in its activities. The JA company does not need an expert who knows all the details of entrepreneurship, but someone who is interested in sharing their experience of entrepreneurship and looking for answers to the JA company’s questions together. The advisor is not legally responsible for the activities of the JA company.  

Advisor tasks 

The tasks of the advisor include, for example, listening, commenting on ideas, suggestions for improvement, possible contacts with the actors in the area, advice and tips for developing the production, marketing and sales of the JA company. By discussing the company’s activities with young people, you may find that you can learn new things yourself and get into both the problems of a starting company and the interests of young people.  

Why become an advisor? 

• You get to follow the young person’s growth in life and entrepreneurship, as well as be involved in the challenges and successes of entrepreneurship.  
• You can act as an adult supporter for future entrepreneurs and players.  
• You gain guidance and mentoring experience.
• You gain joy, energy and a different perspectives from young people.  
• You can strengthen young people’s faith in the future and their self-confidence.  

Content tips for meetings 

• Getting to know one another and commenting on the business idea  
• Business plan 
• Company in operation  
• Competitions and Uskalla Yrittää events 
• Annual report and termination of the JA company  
• Evaluation of activities and feedback discussion  

The role of an advisor can be outlined in two parts: The first part is the evaluation of the business idea and consideration of whether the idea is feasible. This can be done, for example, on SWOT basis: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The second part concerns issues which may not be noticed or taken into account by the entrepreneurs themselves. What do you see that they do not? How can you best open up your own experience to them?   

Explore research results of the Company programme  

Long-term entrepreneurship education strengthens the skills needed in working life and at the same time supports all learning. Research clearly shows that skills are built up by doing.

The difference in various expertise, working life skills and study success between young people who participated in entrepreneurship education and the comparison group was clearly greater in Finland than elsewhere in Europe. And although the development of key skills (e.g. oral communication, mathematical skills, decision-making ability) is not the main purpose of the Company programme, the impact in Finland was clear. For example, the ability to make decisions will be significantly strengthened through wide-ranging learning.