Canada Represented at JA Americas Company of the Year Competition in Brazil
December 11, 2025 National In November, Canada proudly represented at the JA Americas Company of the Year (COY) competition, held this year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Our Canadian champions, TopShelf, earned their spot among the top 20 student-led companies across the JA Americas region and were invited to take part in this unique opportunity and in-person event. With a mission to inspire childhood literacy through beautifully illustrated books, TopShelf impressed judges and peers as they pitched their company, networked with teams from across the Americas, and showcased their products at the Trade Fair. This experience offered an incredible opportunity to build connections and celebrate the creativity and innovation of JA Company Program participants from across the region. Adding to Canada’s presence at the event, JA Central Ontario alumna Micole joined as a COY Influencer, sharing highlights and behind-the-scenes moments on social media to bring this exciting experience to a wider audience. COY Americas Media Gallery Love0 Share Share Share Pin
Skilled Futures: Highlights from the World of Choices Skilled Trades Summits
September 05, 2025 National JA Canada is proud to celebrate the success of the 2024–2025 World of Choices Skilled Trades Summits, an innovative initiative designed to inspire youth to explore rewarding careers in the skilled trades. As demand for trade professionals continues to rise across Canada – over 222,000 Red Seal tradespeople are needed over the next four years – these summits equip young people with the knowledge, tools, and hands-on experiences they need to confidently explore this essential sector. We’re especially grateful to RBC and Imperial Oil for their support in fueling skilled trades education and helping embed these programs into the core of JA’s career readiness offerings. A big thank you as well to Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) for their invaluable contributions as Summit Hosts and key resource partners for the JA Career Exploration Centre. Students can also dive deeper anytime through the JA Career Exploration Center, our virtual platform that supports both independent and classroom-based career discovery. Together, we’re building stronger pathways to skilled careers and empowering the next generation of talent. The summits provided a space for students to get exposed to: Industry panels led by electricians, mechanics, carpenters, and other skilled trades professionals, including women and BIPOC leaders, who shared their career journeys and offered advice from a range of personal perspectives. Interactive transferrable skills workshops helping students identify and build essential career skills: communication, problem solving, adaptability, creativity & innovation, collaboration, among others. Live demonstrations and hands-on sessions where students could explore the tools, technologies, and techniques used in various trades, igniting curiosity and sparking new interests. Networking opportunities where students connected directly with industry experts, learning about apprenticeship programs, certifications, academic pathways, and employment opportunities. Supporting Canada’s Skilled Workforce of Tomorrow The World of Choices Skilled Trades Summits are a direct response to Canada’s growing need for skilled trade professionals. By equipping youth with the guidance, tools, and real-world insights to explore these careers, JA Canada is helping build a strong, diverse, and future-ready workforce. We’re excited to expand the program’s reach, bringing summits to even more communities across the country and opening doors for more young people to discover rewarding opportunities in the skilled trades. Love0 Share Share Share Pin
Opening Doors, Inspiring Futures: The Impact of World of Choices
September 02, 2025 National Each year, the JA Canada’s World of Choices program opens doors for youth across the country, helping them explore different careers and giving them the tools and knowledge to pursue them. This 2024/25 academic year was no exception with over 37,000 youth going through the program. World of Choices isn’t just about career exploration. It’s about confidence-building, mentorship, and helping students envision their place in a rapidly changing workforce. From virtual panels and in-person networking sessions to hands-on workshops and career fairs, the program offered thousands of students the opportunity to engage directly with professionals across a wide range of industries. But it’s the stories behind the numbers that truly show the power of the program. Each event is unique yet most experiences feature: Plenary Sessions and Panels: Students heard firsthand from industry leaders in various fields like professional services, finance, technology, engineering, skilled trades, manufacturing, and the arts. These professionals shared their personal career journeys, discussed challenges and rewards in their fields, and answered students’ questions. Career Mentor Sessions: Students connect directly with seasoned professionals in intimate, small group mentoring sessions. They had the chance to ask questions, seek advice, and gain firsthand knowledge from subject matter experts. Career Fair & Networking Opportunities: Youth explored a diverse range of career options during interactive career fairs while also building valuable connections with mentors and peers. Empowering Youth for the Future The impact of World of Choices events has been significant, with students across Canada reporting a stronger understanding of the career paths available to them and the skills needed to pursue those opportunities. In 2024–2025, these events continued to bridge the gap between education and the workforce. We are grateful to all the partners who support World of Choices and help make this impact possible for Canadian students. As JA Canada continues to expand this program, World of Choices has become a transformative experience for students. By introducing youth to a wide range of industries and equipping them with confidence, knowledge, and inspiration to explore their goals, these events are helping to build a more inclusive and future-ready workforce. Contact your local JA office to learn more about World of Choices events in 2025–2026 and how they’re helping prepare youth for success in the workforce. Love0 Share Share Share Pin
2025 Canadian Company of the Year Championship
July 23, 2025 National Over the past few weeks, JA Company Program teams have been competing in the Canadian Company of the Year Championship. We’re delighted to share that this year’s champion is Top Shelf from JA Central Ontario. Category Sessions During the week of July 7th, nine teams from across Canada competed in one of the category sessions: Technoogy Social Enterprise Manufacturing & Retail The top team from each category was invited to participate in the Championship event as a finalist. This year’s finalists included: Top Shelf from JA Central Ontario – Manufacturing/Retail Finalist Hearts & Heritage from JA Manitoba – Technology Finalist Cherish N Care from JA South Western Ontario – Social Enterprise Finalist Congratulations to all of this year’s teams. The judging panel was impressed with the presentations this year making the judging process difficult. It’s wonderful to see so many great JA Company Program teams highlighted this year. 2025 Championship Event – July 17, 2025 This year’s championship event took place virtually. We were delighted to have JA Alumnae Rachel Bruce from JA PEI as the event host and MC. Before any of the team presentations started, JA Alumnae Mia Cvetkovik from JA Central Ontario participated in an engaging fireside chat where she shared her experience with JA as well as how she’s further developed her career and built strong skills in leadership. Each of the three finalists had prepared a strong presentation about their company and JA program experience. Following their presentation, each of the teams also participated in a Q&A session with our judging panel. Congrats to all the teams for a job well done! Thank you to our Supporting Sponsor, The Rossy Foundation, for your support of this event. If you missed the event, you can see the recording below! Watch on YouTube Love0 Share Share Share Pin
2025 Royden Richardson National JA Volunteer Awards
At JA Canada, we are most grateful for our volunteer network. Last year, more than 6,000 volunteers across Canada helped us provide more than 445,000 learning experiences and opportunities to youth from coast-to-coast. Volunteers make all of this possible. National Volunteer Week is a wonderful time to celebrate our many volunteers. Each year, we recognize the recipients of the Royden Richardson National JA Volunteer Awards. These awards recognize volunteers whose participation has immeasurably furthered the aims and objectives of JA in Canada. This year, we’re delighted to recognize two volunteers in the programs category and one volunteer in the governance/administration category: Thank you to all our dedicated volunteers who make it possible for more youth to become inspired and prepared for the future! See a list of our current and previous award winners here. Love0 Share Share Share Pin
Empowering the Next Generation: Preparing youth for careers in the trades
November 14, 2024 National JA Canada is proud to celebrate the success of the 2023-2024 World of Choices Skilled Trades Summits, an innovative initiative aimed at inspiring youth to explore rewarding careers in skilled trades. As the need for trade professionals continues to grow across Canada, these summits provide students with the tools, knowledge, and hands-on experiences to navigate potential career paths in this vital sector. Read more about Mark Beckles’ insights here. We’re grateful to RBC Future Launch for their support in fueling skilled trades education, helping embed these programs in the fabric of JA’s career readiness offering. And we are immensely appreciative of Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) for their invaluable contributions as Summit Hosts and resource contributors for the JA Career Exploration Centre. Skilled Trades Summits The summits provided a space for students to get exposed to: Industry panels led by electricians, mechanics, carpenters, and other skilled trades professionals, including women and BIPOC leaders, who shared their career journeys and offered advice from a range of personal perspectives. Interactive transferrable skills workshops helping students identify and build essential career skills: communication, problem solving, adaptability, creativity & innovation, collaboration, among others. Live demonstrations and hands-on sessions where students could explore the tools, technologies, and techniques used in various trades, igniting curiosity and sparking new interests. Networking opportunities where students connected directly with industry experts, learning about apprenticeship programs, certifications, academic pathways, and employment opportunities. Supporting Canada’s Workforce of the Future The World of Choices Skilled Trades Summits directly align with Canada’s growing demand for skilled trade professionals. By providing young people with the guidance and resources to explore these paths, JA Canada is helping to ensure a strong, diverse, and skilled workforce for the future. As we look ahead, JA Canada is excited to expand the reach of these summits, with plans to bring the program to even more communities in the coming year, helping youth across the country unlock new career possibilities in skilled trades. And now, students can learn about skilled trades careers on their own or as a class through the JA virtual Career Exploration Center. JA Local Offices Shared Successes of the Trades Summits Contact your local JA office to learn about how you can participate in Skilled Trades Summits and World of Choices this year! Love0 Share Share Share Pin
Preparing Youth for their Careers: World of Choices
October 30, 2024 National JA Canada is excited to celebrate the success of our flagship work readiness program: World of Choices. Through this initiative, we’re empowering youth to explore diverse career opportunities and make informed decisions about their future. Through a series of interactive panels, workshops, career mentor sessions, career fairs, and networking sessions, students connected with industry professionals from a wide range of sectors, gaining valuable insight into the skills and pathways needed to succeed in today’s evolving job market. These events featured: Plenary Sessions and Panels: Students heard firsthand from industry leaders in various fields like healthcare, finance, technology, skilled trades, and the arts. These professionals shared their personal career journeys, discussed challenges and rewards in their fields, and answered students’ questions. Career Mentor Sessions: Students connect directly with seasoned professionals in intimate, small group mentoring sessions. They had the chance to ask questions, seek advice, and gain firsthand knowledge from subject matter experts. Career Fair & Networking Opportunities: Youth explored a diverse range of career options during interactive career fairs while also building valuable connections with mentors and peers. Empowering Youth for the Future The impact of World of Choices events has been profound, with students from across Canada reporting a deeper understanding of the career options available to them and the skills required to pursue those careers. In 2023-2024. Making a Lasting Impact As JA Canada continues to bridge the gap between education and the workforce, World of Choice has proven to be a transformative experience for students, particularly those from underserved and equity-seeking communities. By introducing them to a variety of industries and empowering them with the confidence to pursue their dreams, these events help build a more inclusive and prepared future workforce. As we move forward, JA Canada is excited to continue expanding World of Choices events, ensuring that even more students across the country are equipped with the skills, knowledge, and connections they need to navigate their future careers successfully. Contact your local JA office to learn more about the World of Choices events in 2024-2025 and how they are preparing youth for success in the workforce. Love0 Share Share Share Pin
2024 Canadian Company Of The Year Championship
July 23, 2024 National Over the past few weeks, JA Company Program teams have been competing in the Canadian Company of the Year Championship. We’re delighted to share that this year’s champion is Deckorous from JA Southern Alberta. This year’s three finalists included the top team from the category sessions which include: Technology Finalist – Tapi from JA Central Ontario Retail & Manufacturing Finalist – Chirper from JA Manitoba Social Venture Finalist – Deckorous from JA Southern Alberta Congratulations to all the teams! The judges were highly impressed with this year’s presentations. Your hard work and dedication were truly evident! 2024 Championship Event – July 18, 2024 This year’s championship event took place virtually. The emcee was JA Alumni Liam MacDougall from New Brunswick. The event started with an entrepreneurs panel discussion featuring Rene Fritsch, Senior Consultant at Deloitte and intrapreneur; Keegan Sharp, Vice President of Mortgages Growth at Neo Financial; and Kyra Young, Partner Manager at Shopify and Founder & CEO of Kyra’s Shea Medleys. Each of the finalist teams had a presentation prepared which was followed by a Q&A session by the judges. You can see a recording of the event below. Best Store Builder of the Year During the championship event, the winners of the Best Store Builder Award of the Year were announced. JA Company Program teams who used a Shopify store this year, qualified for the award. Shopify judged each of the stores to determine the winner. This year’s Best Store Builders of the Year Include: Colour Moi – JA Manitoba Revive – JA Northern Alberta Fleur Eternelle – JA Northern Alberta Pura Sano – JA Northern Alberta Love0 Share Share Share Pin
2024 National JA Student Award Winners
June 06, 2024 National We’re delighted to share the news of the 2024 national JA student award winners. This year, three awards were available to students across Canada who actively participated in the JA Company Program! JA Future Leader AwardAwarded to a student who developed and demonstrated leadership skills through their JA experience. JA Company Program Community AwardAwarded to a student who demonstrated how they used their JA experience to contribute to building a better community. The Seymour Schulich Entrepreneurship ScholarshipAwarded to a graduating student who demonstrated how their JA experience has equipped them with the entrepreneurial skills and a mindset that they’ll apply to their future educational and career pathways. The 2024 National JA Student Award Winners Are: JA Future Leader Award – Rafael Nicholas Bugan | JA Quebec JA Company Program Community Award – Anson Lee | JA Central Ontario Seymour Schulich Entrepreneurship Scholarship – May Sharma | JA Northern Alberta Love0 Share Share Share Pin