JA’s Outcomes-Based Strategic Blueprint

Author: Elizabeth Stepanek
Corporate Responsibility
Published: Wednesday, 18 Feb 2026

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Image caption: An outcomes-based strategic blueprint; Our clear, intentional approach to education

At Junior Achievement, we believe every student deserves a future filled with choices and opportunities. That belief is the foundation of JA’s outcomes-based strategic blueprint; a clear, intentional approach to education that starts not with programs, but with the outcomes that matter most for students’ long-term success.

An outcomes-based strategic blueprint defines what success looks like and then aligns experiences, partnerships, and resources around achieving those results. Rather than measuring impact solely by participation or exposure, JA focuses on whether students are gaining the mindsets, skills, behaviors, and connections proven to advance economic mobility at scale.

What Outcomes-Based Means at JA

Being outcomes-based means that we design learning experiences backward from the future students are preparing to enter. We ask:

What do young people need to thrive in a rapidly changing economy?
What experiences are proven to increase access to opportunity and upward mobility?
How do we ensure those experiences are equitably available to students across communities?

The result is a strategic blueprint grounded in research and focused on lasting impact, not just short-term achievement, but long-term opportunity.

The Building Blocks of Economic Mobility

JA’s outcomes-based strategy is anchored in four interconnected outcomes known as the Building Blocks of Economic Mobility. Together, they define the student success JA works toward and guide how learning experiences are designed and delivered.

Build Confidence
We cultivate mindsets that spark engagement, self-belief, and a sense of possibility. When students can envision a future for themselves and see that it’s attainable, they are more likely to persist, take risks, and pursue meaningful goals.

Gain Capability
Students develop transferable skills and competencies such as problem-solving, adaptability, collaboration, and critical thinking. These capabilities equip young people to navigate an evolving workforce, regardless of how jobs or industries change.

Show Competence
Through applied learning and academic reinforcement, students demonstrate what they know and can do. These experiences help students build the behaviors and habits that translate into success beyond the classroom and into the workplace.

Get Connected
We expand access to networks, mentors, and meaningful education and career opportunities. These connections are often the difference between aspiration and attainment, turning potential into progress.

Together, these building blocks form a cohesive framework that aligns education with economic mobility and prepares students not just for their first job, but for a lifetime of learning and growth.

Image caption: Laddered Outcomes Towards Economic Mobility - Graphic

Designing for Impact, Partnering for Scale

An outcomes-based blueprint also recognizes that scale and impact require partnership. No single organization can prepare students for the future alone. We work alongside schools, employers, and communities to create education that is relevant, experiential, and connected to the real world.

Across a continuum of career-connected learning, JA collaborates at multiple levels:

Enhanced Learning, enriching traditional instruction with real-world experiences
Embedded Models, integrating career-connected learning into core curriculum for equitable access
Integrated Systems, co-designing future-ready ecosystems that transform teaching and learning

Every JA experience is intentionally designed to connect hope with relevance, helping students understand not only what they are learning, but why it matters and where it can take them.

Conclusion

JA’s outcomes-based strategic blueprint ensures that innovation and technological progress do not leave students behind. Instead, it aligns learning with opportunity, expanding access, opening doors, and creating futures filled with opportunity.

The future of work is here. Junior Achievement is ready, and we’re building it one student at a time.

To learn more, visit JA.org.