Student Entrepreneurs Demonstrate the Powerful Impact of Free Trade to Create Jobs, Drive Economic Growth and Improve Society
At the 2012 Asia Pacific Junior Achievement (JA) Company of the Year Competition hosted in Jakarta, Indonesia, student-run company, y-Craft, won the annual FedEx Access Award. These student entrepreneurs from Singapore, successfully marketed a multi-use pen which included a USB drive and presentation pointer and produced luggage tags intended as giveaways for convention and trade expo attendees.
y-Craft’s business plan demonstrated the most potential for business growth and global expansion as well as its positive impact on the society through job creation and environmental sustainability.
The FedEx Access Award is part of the JA Company of the Year competition which is sponsored by FedEx, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE:FDX) and the world’s largest express transportation company, to help participants understand the value and impact of global access. During the competition, eight FedEx employees facilitated the FedEx Access Seminar to help students grasp the concept of global access. The winning team was then selected by a special FedEx jury from a total of 80 students aged between 15 to 19, representing 16 student companies.
This is the second year of the Asia Pacific competition. The event had broad student representation from across the region: Junior Achievement teams from China, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Turkmenistan participated in the event.
During participation in the JA Company Program, students start and run their own businesses with support from volunteers from their local business community. They develop and market a product or service with the goal of realizing a profit for their shareholders. During the 2010-2011 school year, more than 380,000 students a year participated in this program globally.
“I am very impressed with the maturity of all the companies, particularly y-Craft and their application of Access in their business model. At FedEx, we define Access as the knowledge and ability to open doors and leverage resources that overcome barriers to achieve the impossible. Access gives people a greater ability to connect with products, companies, ideas and each other. As a result, people’s expectations change and new demands emerge,” said David L. Cunningham, president, FedEx Express Asia Pacific. “FedEx believes that the understanding of Access and its impact is key for successful entrepreneurship. The FedEx Access Award reinforces FedEx commitment to inspire the entrepreneurs of tomorrow.”
Both Junior Achievement and FedEx are committed to driving economic growth and job creation across the region by giving young people the necessary skills and opportunities to help them thrive.
At the gala awards ceremony at Atlet Century Park in Jakarta, Indonesia, the JA Worldwide® (Junior Achievement) awarded teen entrepreneurs of ”Vnique” from Thailand as the Asia-Pacific JA Company of the Year at its second annual Asia-Pacific competition.
Vnique, whose name means “We are unique” produced an eco-friendly, rip- and water-resistant wallet called “Walleco” from recycled materials. The second-place winner was “ComforT,” a JA student company from Turkmenistan. ComforT produced a multi-functional belt using scrap fabric from local textile mills and camel wool donated by local farmers.
Third place honors went to “Halves” from South Korea. The JA student company digitized traditional Korean folk tales and translated them into three languages.
About JA Worldwide (Junior Achievement)
JA Worldwide is the world’s largest organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated volunteer network, Junior Achievement provides in-school and after-school programs for students which focus on three key content areas: work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. Today, 10.6 million students are served by JA Worldwide operations in 118 countries. For more information, visit www.jaworldwide.org.
About FedEx
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $41 billion, the company offers integrated business applications through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world’s most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 290,000 team members to remain “absolutely, positively” focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. For more information, visit news.fedex.com.
About FedEx Express
FedEx Express is the world’s largest express transportation company, providing fast and reliable delivery to more than 220 countries and territories. FedEx Express uses a global air-and-ground network to speed delivery of time-sensitive shipments, by a definite time and date with a money-back guarantee.
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SOURCE: Submitted by Bite Communications
