SHRM and Junior Achievement USA Announce Two-Year Collaboration

WASHINGTON, June 21, 2016 -- The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Junior Achievement USA announced today that they have formed a collaborative partnership to promote work readiness in high schools across the country.

Leaders of the two organizations — Henry G. (Hank) Jackson, president and CEO of SHRM, and Jack E. Kosakowski, president and CEO of Junior Achievement USA — will sign a memorandum of understanding today during SHRM's 2016 Annual Conference & Exposition.

SHRM is a globally recognized professional society that develops and serves the human resource professional and advances and leads the HR profession. Junior Achievement inspires and prepares young people to succeed in the global economy.

The agreement will use the strengths and expertise of both organizations to engage human resource professionals, educators and Junior Achievement associates in initiatives that better prepare young people to be successful adults in the ever-evolving world of work.

"Both SHRM and Junior Achievement USA believe in the power of collaboration," Jackson said. "We are bringing our organizations' talents together to benefit high school students and prepare them for life in the working world."

"Work readiness is a main focus for Junior Achievement, along with entrepreneurship and financial literacy," said Jack Kosakowski, President & CEO of Junior Achievement USA. "SHRM is an ideal partner for our efforts on the work readiness front. We look forward to this collaboration positively impacting the young people we serve."

As part of the two-year collaboration, Junior Achievement will provide underwriting and sponsorship for SHRM Foundation undergraduate HR scholarships. Junior Achievement also will work with SHRM to develop proposals for corporate funders to underwrite research projects on topics such as the impact of employee volunteer programs on employee retention and best practices in addressing the skills gap.

SHRM will promote opportunities for SHRM chapters to work with local Junior Achievement offices on work-readiness initiatives. The organization also will create opportunities for local Junior Achievement offices to present to SHRM chapters on employee volunteer programs.

About the Society for Human Resource Management
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is the world's largest HR professional society, representing 285,000 members in more than 165 countries. For nearly seven decades, the Society has been the leading provider of resources serving the needs of HR professionals and advancing the practice of human resource management. SHRM has more than 575 affiliated chapters within the United States and subsidiary offices in China, India and United Arab Emirates. Visit us at shrm.org and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @SHRMPress.

About Junior Achievement USA®
Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. Today, JA reaches 4.6 million students per year in 112 markets across the United States, with an additional 5.6 million students served by operations in more than 100 countries worldwide. Visit www.ja.org for more information

CONTACT: Ed Grocholski
         Junior Achievement USA
         (719) 540-6165
         [email protected]