Junior Achievement of Central Maryland’s web platform helps students size up career paths

Junior Achievement of Central Maryland seeks to provide students with a look at careers they might be interested in pursuing.
With a new web platform, the nonprofit is letting students dig into what career paths in the area that line up with their ambitions.
JA Career Pathfinder is designed to serve as guide through the considerations that students want in a career, and provide information about careers that are in demand in the area. Users identify their interests, and set expectations such as education level and salary. Then, it shows the jobs that match up. It draws on data from the Baltimore Metropolitan Council and Towson University, and aims to show careers in a range of industries and education levels.
According to the organization, the platform is currently in beta. Access was opened up to 3,000 eighth graders in Baltimore County Public Schools following an event last week called JA Inspire, which gathered students at the state fairgrounds in Timonium to meet with local employers like GM, T. Rowe Price and more.

#JAInspireMD was a whirlwind of #inspiration! @BaltCoPS 8th graders explored career pathways through hands-on activities and gained a wealth of knowledge from professionals in the field. Thanks to all of our partners and sponsors for making this day a success! @CTE_BaltCoPS pic.twitter.com/PoirMYs3Z8

— JA Central Maryland (@JA_Maryland) October 18, 2018

“To fuel the workforce pipeline in Central Maryland, we need to start early and expose youth to the exciting career opportunities that exist in our region,” Jennifer Bodensiek, president and CEO of Junior Achievement of Central Maryland, said in a statement. “Through JA Career Pathfinder and our other career readiness experiences, we are connecting youth to businesses, role models, hands-on activities and information that motivates and enables students to plan for their futures.”

Junior Achievement worked with Mission Media to develop the platform. Hanover-based talent management firm The Allegis Group provided funding.