Junior Achievement of the Cayman Islands recently said a big thank you to its top corporate sponsors, at a luncheon held at The Brasserie in their honour.

In attendance were representatives of all eight Junior Achievement Corporate Ambassadors: HSBC, Rotary Central, Dunkin’ Donuts, Caledonian Global Financial Services, Maples & Calder, BDO, The Cayman Islands Government and the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce. Each was presented with a crystal trophy in thanks for their support.

Mr. Paul Byles, President of Junior Achievement, hosted the event and said that it was organisations such as these corporate sponsors who enabled Junior Achievement to carry out its much-needed programmes, which play such a key role in developing Cayman’s youth to be future leaders.

“Ensuring that Cayman’s young people have the opportunity to experience and understand the demanding corporate world before they leave school is a vital component of the Junior Achievement programme,” he stated. “In this way they can begin to prepare themselves for the highly competitive business environment in which we operate today. The continued support we receive from our Corporate Ambassadors means we are able to continue to offer this important stepping stone from school to work. We are therefore deeply grateful to all of our Corporate Ambassadors who have given so generously to the programme.”

Also in attendance at the luncheon was Mark Scotland, Minister for Health, Environment, Youth, Sports and Culture, whose Ministry has joined with Ministry of Education to become a Corporate Sponsor.

Minister Scotland commended those corporate sponsors who had made the effort to support such a critical programme for Cayman’s youth, lending his whole-hearted support to Junior Achievement.

“Young people need to be able to adapt in a quickly changing and extremely pressurised environment, no matter what career path they choose,” Minister Scotland said. “Programmes such as Junior Achievement help to build a foundation from which they can grow and learn, teaching them not only entrepreneurial skills but also, more broadly, life lessons, thereby setting them off on a path to a successful future.”

The newly developed Corporate Ambassador programme was launched last year to retain continuity within the programme by having each Corporate Ambassador commit to donating $10,000 annually over a period of three years, which provides a steady stream of funds for the foreseeable future.

Junior Achievement is celebrating its 20th Anniversary in the Cayman Islands in 2012 and Mr. Byles hopes that many more organisations and businesses will come on board this year to help further strengthen the programme. For more information about becoming a Corporate Ambassador, please e-mail Paul Byles through Junior Achievement at [email protected]