Junior Achievement Captures Vibrancy of Province's Business Community

Last Thursday, I had the privilege of participating in the Junior Achievement of Newfoundland and Labrador's 20th Business Hall of Fame induction ceremony. It was a ceremony that captured the optimism and vibrancy that exists today in the province's business community.

This year's Hall of Fame inductees — Fred Cahill, Gordon Manstan, and Great Big Sea — were acknowledged for their business excellence and contribution to Newfoundland and Labrador. They also joined an impressive list of the "who's who" from the province's business community — a list of more than 60 prominent Newfoundlanders and Labradorians such as the Lieutenant Governor, John Crosbie, the late Craig Dobbin, Susan Patten, Paul Johnson, Angela Cantwell-Peters, and our Premier, the Honourable Danny Williams.

Hall of Fames are reserved for a select few and, once again, I congratulate the inductees on the honour.

While the evening recognized their successes, it also cast the spotlight on the province's budding entrepreneurs and future leaders.

With an increasing number of opportunities emerging in the provincial economy, it is essential to create awareness of business principles and instill the entrepreneurial spirit at a young age. Engaging youth also allows them to provide a fresh perspective and new ideas in our traditional and knowledge-based industries. It also holds the long-term potential of developing leadership qualities that will better position them to lead the province as it marches forward and competes globally.

As a government, we are pleased to work with organizations such as Junior Achievement that share our view of the value of engaging youth.

Over the last year, with our support, Junior Achievement conducted multi-generational labour market research with the primary focus on Generation Y — those under the age of 30. This research focuses on youth recruitment, engagement issues, and techniques for employers. It also better enables Junior Achievement to work more effectively with other organizations and businesses to understand, recruit, and manage multi-generational workforces.

The Provincial Government is also supporting the four top achievers in the 2009-10 Junior Achievement Company Program — A Student Venture to participate in the Next Generation Leaders Forum at Queen's University in August. Over 200 delegates will converge to build new skills and their own leadership capacities, new global relationships, and fresh new perspectives.

We look forward to continuing to advance the initiatives of Junior Achievement. Their continued development ensures the long-term success of the province's business community.

2010 06 02                   2:10 p.m.