ATLANTA, Dec. 12, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Employees with one of the world's largest security companies recently stepped out of the office and into the classroom as volunteers with Junior Achievement of Georgia.
Junior Achievement is the nation's largest organization dedicated to inspiring and empowering students to succeed by instilling knowledge and skills to plan for the future and to make smart academic and economic choices. Through offices in every state serving more than 120 areas across the country, Junior Achievement operates volunteer-delivered programs for children in kindergarten to 12th grade. These programs teach children about business and entrepreneurship, personal financial literacy and workforce readiness. In the 2011-2012 school year, Junior Achievement reached more than 4.2 million students in 183,000 classrooms, with the help of 178,000 volunteers. Classroom volunteers include business people, college students, parents and retirees who share their personal and career experience to show students real-world applications of what they are learning in school.
As classroom volunteers serving Junior Achievement of Georgia, employees of U.S. Security Associates shared business concepts with the students as well as discussing their own work in the security services business, a career option the children might not have previously considered. Company employees explained the role of a national security company in protecting life and property from terrorist and criminal threats and responding to people in need in the event of natural disasters and other emergencies.
One company participant notes, "Personally, I truly enjoyed going into the classroom and teaching the children about business concepts in general and the security solutions business in particular. They had such a curiosity and desire to learn." Jon Dimalanta, Vice President of Human Resources, observes that Junior Achievement offers a win-win opportunity for businesses not only to get involved in the community but also to plant the seeds of career inspiration in the workforce of tomorrow. "For decades, the best positions in private security went to individuals who entered the field as a second career, after retiring from law enforcement or the military. With the industry's rapid growth, recruiters are seeing an influx of high-quality applicants for whom security is a first career choice. We hope that our participation in this program opens children's eyes to new possibilities and potential careers in criminal justice and security."
U.S. Security Associates' Chief Executive Officer, Chuck Schneider, comments, "We feel it is important to give back to the local communities we serve, and Junior Achievement's philosophy is so closely aligned with ours that supporting it is really a natural fit for us. Junior Achievement believes that inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy will result in a skilled workforce that will allow the business community to flourish and grow. U.S. Security Associates invests in providing our people with educational resources, motivation and opportunities to achieve long-term career goals, and our organization is prospering accordingly as a top security company."
ABOUT U.S. SECURITY ASSOCIATES
U.S. Security Associates is North America's security solutions leader, with 160 locally-responsive offices providing high-quality national security services and global consulting and investigations. The company provides career paths for over 46,000 security professionals serving several thousand clients and many industries. Recognized for world class customer service and leading-edge technology, U.S. Security Associates has the distinction of being the first security company certified ISO 9001:2008 at all of its offices nationwide. The organization is ranked one of the world's 30 best training and development companies by ASTD and is listed as a Training magazine Top 125 training company for the seventh consecutive year. For more information visit www.ussecurityassociates.com.