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Page 10 â€" Waterloo Chronicle, Wednesday, January 28, 1976 ~It‘s very difficult to select a very good J.A. product because of proâ€" hibitive costs and limited facilities .. .It‘s very comâ€" mon for a company to select a product that doesn‘t work out. But that‘s part of the learning experience.~ Kids become businessmen through Junior Achievement The aim of J.A. is to teach high school students basic business techniques. **My objectives are to teach an understanding of the business system and develop personal skills. I think we do that very well." said Mr. Smith. * You name it. We‘ve made it," says Ian Smith, the coordinator of the J.A. program that â€" operates three nights a week in a warehouse on Victoria St. S. in Kitchener. Students are divided into small companies under the guidance of volunteer adâ€" visors from the Kâ€"W busiâ€" By Mary Stupart Beer can lighters, macâ€" rame flower pot holders. book stands and metric converters are just a few of the many products that have been made by Junior Achievement (J.A.) comâ€" panies since the program was inaugurated in Kitchâ€" enerâ€"Waterloo _ six years ago. Joan Swiech displays a fuzzy kleenex box cover that members of the SIA company are marketing as part of their Junior Achievement program . The miniature companies elect an executive. sell shares and choose a prodâ€" uct to market. Then they try to sell their product doorâ€"toâ€"door and in shopping plazas. ~ Each company meets once a week for three hours to manufacture products. hold board meetings, preâ€" pare financial statements and plan marketing proâ€" grams. Companies must issue a financial statement each month which is audited by advisors. ‘‘The business communâ€" ity is very receptive to this program. For example. this year we have one new sponsoring company â€" and about 75 per cent of our advisors returned to the program from last year. They felt the program was doing a good job and they wanted to be a poart of it.~ The companies are run like real business enterâ€" prises. The students pay themselves salaries, conâ€" tribute to the rent of the J.A. centre and purchase production materials. Someâ€" times sponsoring companies from the community proâ€" vide production materials or offer their facilities to ness community. This year. 95 advisors are assisting 13 miniature companies. **We have the advantage of being able to use materâ€" ials that no one else can use. We often get scrap material from local indusâ€" tries to make our products. ... However, the companies have to pay for whatever they use to maintain the reality that it‘s a business,"~ said Mr. Smith. ‘ During the 26â€"weekâ€"proâ€" gram, one company in the J.A. program acts as a bankâ€" er for the other 12 comâ€" panies. Members of the bank cash company cheâ€" ques, issue salaries and carry out the other funcâ€" tions of a regular bank. Stu McDonald of Waterloo and Sharon Carter of Kitchener silkâ€"screen metric counters for their Junior Achievement company, HAPCO. the miniature companies for shortâ€"term production. Although making a profit is not necessary for learnâ€" ing business techniques, Mr. Smith estimates that about 70 percent of the *‘"The average sales of a J.A. company are $800 to $1,000 a year . ..One of our companies last year won the Company of the Year Award for Canada and the award for Best Annual Report." . miniature companies â€" do return some dividends on shares. Mr. Smith thinks more students today are realizing that the J.A. program can help prepare them for a business career. *In 1971â€"72, we had a deâ€" cline in students involved in J.A. Attitudes of students were very negative toâ€" wards _ business _ .. .But their attitudes have started to change again. This year, we have an enrolment inâ€" crease of 25 percent. Stuâ€" dents are starting to look down the road to what they are going to do when they graduate. By joining a proâ€" gram like J.A.., they get some idea how business operates. This helps them in selecting a career," said Mr. Smith. **The program does proâ€" vide some work experiâ€" ence. The students can use J.A. as a job reference. There are a number of students who end up with jobs through their involveâ€" ment with J.A. because it is well recognized locally.~ The J.A. program also helps some high school students find jobs after graduation. The national office of J.A. IN Toronto sponsors awards each year to local companies that excel in the J.A. program. Local busiâ€" nessmen in Kâ€"W also sponâ€" sor annual awards for the company of the year,. the top salesman. the best marketing and production company _ and â€" individuals who have successfully carâ€" ried out roles as executives of the companies. The continuation of the J.A. program depends enâ€" tirely on the ability of the board of directors to raise this money from the busiâ€" ness community. Mr. Smith J . A. relies heavily on the Kâ€"W business community for sponsorship and a source of advisors. A â€" financial campaign to raise next year‘s operating budget of $40.000 will begin in Februâ€" ary. Bev McKenzie of 207 Kenneth St., Kitchener strings wooden beads on leather chains to make choker necklaces. The chokers are produced by VRD, a Junior Achievement company. admits "times are more difficult and companies are being more selective where they put their funds." However, he remains opâ€" timistic that the money will be found to continue the program next year.