(Loop News) — New Fortress Energy has partnered with Junior Achievement Jamaica (JA), to help 1,200 students from primary schools in Old Harbour and the JAMALCO refinery communities participate in a four-week, in-class entrepreneurship and business curriculum as part of the JA BizTown programme.

Scheduled to begin November 2018 during National Youth Month, JA BizTown is the first and the only one of its kind in the Caribbean and Latin America and is designed to develop and sharpen the business and entrepreneurship acumen of students from an early age.

The programme is correlated with the Ministry of Education, Youth & Information’s National Standards Curriculum and exposes students to specialised in-class learning through several Jamaican private sector businesses giving students the opportunity to undertake various functions just like the professionals employed in these organisations.

Verona Carter, Vice President, Public Affairs, New Fortress Energy said, “tomorrow’s economic indicators are sitting in today’s classrooms, therefore NFE believes it’s very important to include entrepreneurship as a core aspect of the schools’ curriculum from very early because of the fundamental role that these students will play in driving Jamaica’s economic outlook in the future. We are very happy to be partnering with Junior Achievement Jamaica to educate students about financial literacy and entrepreneurial thinking while preparing them for work readiness as innovators and entrepreneurs. This is profoundly important to our founder and chairman Wes Edens, in his vision to advance Jamaica’s economic growth and development for the Jamaican people.”

For their part, Alphie Mullings, President, Junior Achievement Jamaica, said; “Primary school students are not old enough to drive, work, vote or be the boss. However, at JA BizTown they are! They get to apply for a job, get hired and spend a day running a business in our simulated facility. The bigger picture though, is that we’re planting seeds that will no doubt sharpen business acumen and entrepreneurial thinking in these students from very early, which we know will ultimately help them develop into astute business owners and leaders in Jamaica. This is the aim of Junior Achievement Jamaica and we are deeply grateful to New Fortress Energy for supporting our mission and helping to set so many students on the right path to create a next generation workforce.”

The schools include Davis Primary, Good Hope Primary, Old Harbour Bay Primary, Planter’s Hall All Age, Old Harbour Primary and Marlie Mount Primary from the Old Harbour area and Race Course Primary, Hayes Primary, York Town Primary, Gimme-Me-Bit Primary, Hazard Primary and Mineral Heights Primary from Clarendon. NFE’s employees, who are experts in their respective fields, will also host in-class sessions with the students throughout the programme.