The initiative is receiving wide-ranging support from several corporate sponsors as well as Government of St. Lucia. Junior Achievement is an international non-profit educational program, geared at teaching basic business operations in a free market economy. If you consider that we started with six companies and today eighteen accepted charters than truly we are doing quite well indeed. Under the program students organize and operate a business over the course of the school year. They elect officers, sell stock, determine a product or service, produce and market it, pay themselves and maintain all normal business records.
Moves are now underway at introducing other non-business programs to students of primary schools.
According to Prime Minister the Hon. Dr. Anthony he told his audience. Prime Minister Anthony says the program represented recognition of the fact, that the way to go in this country was to prepare St. Lucians for competition and sound investment. For the Chamber of Commerce which is spearheading the venture, the move is bent on reversing the trend of students leaving school but being totally unprepared for the world of work. Chamber President and Chairman of Junior Achievement Guy Mayers, says the program was mounted in an effort at changing the culture of business in St. Lucia.