The Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) and JA Worldwide (Junior Achievement) have united for a worthy cause -- to help students discover what they want to prepare for in the working world.

HCA and JA are offering a school-based career guidance program for middle and high school students to explore careers in high growth, in demand industries like healthcare, which, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics includes five of the ten fastest-growing occupations. JA is implementing the program with a $250,000 grant from the HCA Foundation. HCA human resource professionals participated in the curriculum review process and are mobilizing volunteers to teach the course in communities all over the U.S.

Careers with a Purpose focuses on positive values that demonstrate the importance of ethical decision-making in the context of career and life decisions. Activities include teaching students the skills associated with understanding the working world like increasing self-awareness of one's purpose and vocational calling as related to career choice. Enhancing personal awareness of vocational interests, skills and values will also be a creative and valuable lesson in matching students to appropriate career choices.

Sean C. Rush, President and Chief Executive Officer of JA Worldwide stated that JA believes in helping create a workforce whose members are passionate and committed to their careers and who demonstrate ethical behavior in every aspect of life. John Steele, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at HCA said that JA Careers with a Purpose will help young people achieve success in their work and in their lives.

Creating JA Careers with a Purpose was based on a recent poll that revealed teens expect to learn job skills in the classroom -- 47 percent expect to learn skills needed for their future careers through education. The survey was administered online in December 2007 by Harris Interactive on behalf of JA and included responses from 626 teens, ages 13 to 18. The survey and JA Careers with a Purpose are sponsored by HCA Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation.

Complete results can be found at:
http://www.ja.org/files/polls/Careers_Exec_Summary_2008.pdf