PASHA Bank OJSC and Junior Achievement Azerbaijan launched a new initiative to support youth SME development in Baku and Quba. The program called, the Sustainable Enterprise Development Program (SEDP), will establish youth-led SMEs in Azerbaijan and enhance their efficiency through capacity-building activities and enabling business environment. In 2012, the program will benefit 60 participants aged 18-27, who are involved or plan to be involved in small and medium entrepreneurship. The presentations will be held in universities, colleges, community centers and youth organizations of Baku and Quba.

The program activities began in May with the presentations held at Qafqaz University and the US-Azerbaijan Education Center. The attendees - alumni of US-Azerbaijan exchange programs, students and the university lecturers, learned about the program's objectives, planned activities and outcomes. Through the project, Junior Achievement Azerbaijan will assist the selected participants to form enterprises and support them through appropriate business training, consultancy, access to finance, and exhibition opportunities. Additionally, the program will conduct monthly public business awareness campaigns to raise the communities' financial literacy.

The new initiative will promote enterprise development, enhance the participants' access to finance opportunities, and foster enabling environment for the enterprises. The project will be concluded by the networking event, where the project beneficiaries will exhibit their businesses.

Junior Achievement Azerbaijan has the honor to welcome Mr. Farid Akhundov, Chairman of the Executive Board of PASHA Bank OJSC, as the new member to the Board of Directors. Currently, chaired by Mr. Bakhtiyar Akhundov, Chevron Khazar Ltd., the JAA Board includes the representatives from Statoil Absheron, PASHA Bank, BP, Deloitte Azerbaijan, American Chamber of Commerce, Baker & McKenzie CIS, Madad Azerbaijan, PricewaterhouseCoopers and the United States Agency for International Development.

The student-team from Baku Educational Complex #132-134 became champions of XIII National Management and Economics Competition. The American Chamber of Commerce and Junior Achievement Azerbaijan co-hosted the contest finals on April 27 at Park Inn Azerbaijan.

Twenty-four students representing eight student-teams from Baku, Sumgayit, and Mingechevir high schools and Qafqaz University competed for the title of National Champion using the business simulation software. During the contest, the participants were given CEO roles of student companies and simulated "business quarters," while making decisions on price, production, marketing, capital investment, and research and development, and considering market conditions. The impacts of the decisions lead to the success or failure of each student company.

The event was concluded with an awards ceremony and a friendly match between the students and the invited representatives of business community. Junior Achievement Azerbaijan expresses gratitude to PASHA Bank, Bakcell, Chevron Khazar and Deloitte Azerbaijan for awarding the finalists and the winning team with corporate gifts and souvenirs.

Bakhtiyar Akhundov, GPA Manager Chevron Khazar Ltd. was elected as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement Azerbaijan. Mr. Akhundov has served on JAA Board as the Member since 2000 and as the Deputy Chairman since 2008.

In his prominent position, Mr. Akhundov will lead the organization's mission, purpose, and overall strategy. JAA Board Chairman is also expected to take active role in developing the organization's fundraising strategy, ensure effective fiscal management, approve and monitor the organization's programs and services, enhance the organization's public image, select and orient new Board Members, and ensure sound risk management policies.

Chevron Khazar and Junior Achievement Azerbaijan partner within the School Economics Education Program, a youth business education initiative in 260 secondary schools started by the United States Agency for International Development in 2003 and supported fully by the private sector and the Ministry of Education in 2010.

Saipem Asia Azerbaijan Branch and Junior Achievement Azerbaijan continue the II Semester of the Youth Work-Readiness Program. The program meets the needs of a diverse group of undergraduate students by providing engaging, academically enriching, and experiential learning sessions in work-readiness education and career perspectives. The program materials are developed by Junior Achievement Worldwide, the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and Manpower, Inc.

Consisting of two levels - the "JA Success Skills" training and "JA Job Shadow" internship program - the initiative engages the IV year bachelor and II year master students of the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy. At the first stage of the students' capacity-building, they participated in the work-readiness training based on "16 Success Skills" model. The training sessions was followed by the students' application and interviews for the internship program at Saipem Azerbaijan office. Five most successful students will receive industry-related training on oil and gas business operation before they start their internship experiences in June.

JIn 2010 Junior Achievement Azerbaijan formed the Alumni Club to involve its program graduates in business education and career development activities. The club is administered by five elected student-members, forty regular members, and more than 500 affiliates - all graduates of Junior Achievement programs. Alumni Club networks the students of Baku State University, Oil Academy, and State Economic University, Azerbaijan Technical University, State Pedagogical College, the University of Architecture and Construction, 'Qafqaz' and 'Khazar' universities.

2011/12 was marked with the number of activities that has been implemented together with student organizations. The Club's members conducted series of seminars on using JA Titan - one of the most popular Junior Achievement's programs. Having thousands of worshippers all over the world, JA Titan simulates 'business quarters' and provides high school and undergraduate students the opportunity to lead a hypothetic business company and make crucial decisions on product pricing, its production and marketing, capital investment, and R&D.

The alumni activities are not limited by Junior Achievement programs. The bright examples are intellectual game that engaged 55 students from Azerbaijan State Oil Academy and Baku State University, and training on using the body language, which was conducted by Club's member Vusal Nazarov at the Youth Activity Support Center. Attended by 30 participants, the training had follow-up sessions at the State Oil Academy, Azerbaijan Technical University and the University of Architecture and Construction. Facilitators explained the participants the use of body language adequate to various situations, as well as during job interviews.

The Club members Sabina Asadova, Madina Gahramanova, Nijat Bayramov and others continued their work by holding trainings on oratorical and debate skills at the Oil Academy and the State Pedagogical College. The initiative was followed with training on human rights at Baku School #20. The young participants took part in role games and debates on human rights; they were also introduced some paragraphs from UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.