Opening doors to opportunity for young people
"Our partnership demonstrates the lasting impact that can be achieved when business and education work together to equip young people with the essential skills, confidence and inspiration they need to succeed."
Deloitte Ireland’s 30-year partnership with Junior Achievement Ireland (JAI) helps young people build the skills, confidence and understanding of the world of work they need to shape their futures.
Choosing what comes next can feel daunting when you’re young. Understanding the world of work, the opportunities available and the skills that can help you get there can make a real difference.
That is the impact at the heart of Deloitte’s long-standing partnership with JAI. Since JAI was founded in 1996, more than 1,000 Deloitte volunteers have worked directly with over 11,700 students, bringing their experience into classrooms and helping young people connect what they learn in school with the world of work.
The impact reaches much further. Over the past three decades, JAI has reached more than 1.3 million students across Ireland, delivering programmes in STEM, financial literacy, entrepreneurship and enterprise with the support of 160 leading organisations.
One of the programmes supported by Deloitte is Ready for Success. The programme helps students explore the world of work, understand the different routes into a career and develop skills that can support them in the future.
In 2024/25, 86% of participating students said the programme changed how they think about the world of work. For one student, that meant recognising that there is more than one route to finding the right career:
It's not a straightforward path in terms of finding your lifelong career. I learned that it's not just about how many Leaving Cert points you get but your personality is just as important. The group sessions taught me that being able to communicate and be more confident can get you far in your future.
Helen Raftery, CEO of Junior Achievement Ireland
The reflection highlights the value of helping young people look beyond a single definition of success. Alongside academic achievement, communication, confidence and self-awareness can all play an important role in shaping future opportunities.
Deloitte Ireland volunteers help bring these conversations to life through practical, age-appropriate classroom sessions. During Deloitte Social Impact Week, Deloitte volunteer Janani Sampath worked with third and fourth-class students at Loreto Senior Primary School, exploring sustainability, climate change, food footprint and how everyone can make a difference to the planet.
“It was an incredible experience to engage with 3rd and 4th class students at Loreto Senior Primary School and talk them through sustainability, climate change, food footprint and how we can all make a difference to the planet we live in.”
Experiences like these give students the opportunity to connect classroom learning with issues affecting their communities and the wider world. They also show how volunteers can share practical knowledge, encourage curiosity and help young people see the relevance of what they are learning.
Deloitte has been part of JAI’s story since its foundation in 1996. Celebrating that milestone, Helen Raftery, CEO of Junior Achievement Ireland, says the partnership demonstrates what sustained collaboration between business and education can achieve:
“As one of JAI's founding partners, Deloitte Ireland has been helping us create a bridge between education and the world of work for more than 30 years. Our partnership demonstrates the lasting impact that can be achieved when business and education work together to equip young people with the essential skills, confidence and inspiration they need to succeed.”
For Deloitte, the partnership is about more than a single programme or event. It represents a sustained commitment to helping young people understand their potential, build confidence and explore the opportunities available to them.
That bridge between the classroom and the workplace continues to grow - one volunteer, one classroom and one young person at a time.
