HONG KONG, February 23, 2017 — Teenage entrepreneurs in student company Hiraya from the Philippines have won the FedEx Access Award at the JA Asia Pacific Company of the Year Competition finals in Tokyo, Japan. Sponsored by FedEx Express (FedEx), the world’s largest express transportation company, the FedEx Access Award aims to develop participants’ understanding of the value of global access to businesses and communities. The award goes to the team whose business idea is judged to have the highest potential to create jobs, grow small business, expand into other markets and improve the environment.
Team Hiraya came up with the idea of the ‘Pina bag’, a versatile and innovative office bag which makes use of a combination of pineapple fabric and synthetic leather for a durable, high-quality product.
Alongside the FedEx Access Award, the winners of the Asia Pacific JA Company of the Year Award were announced. Team KASCA from Thailand took the first prize for their concept of a sustainable, multi-functional board made from compressed rice husk that serves mainly as a device stand but also doubles as a personal organizer for a wide range of everyday items. Team Golden Great Ganesha Student Company (3G SC) came second with their idea of producing practical, multi-functional and highly durably attractive ethnic bags. Third place went to team Collar Couture from Guam, who designed a handcrafted couture bowtie with a twist – while designed primarily for pets, they can also be repurposed for children, men and as accessories.
Launched in 2011, the Asia Pacific JA Company Program aims to develop high school students’ abilities to organize and operate an actual business by providing economic education and business skills. This year, 19 student companies from 13 markets (Brunei, China, Guam, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand) participated.
“FedEx is proud to continue to support the JA Company program in Asia Pacific, which is a valuable and enriching program that nurtures the students as they develop entrepreneurial skills and abilities for the real-life world of business,” said Karen Reddington, president, FedEx Express, Asia Pacific. “The FedEx Access Award, in particular, illustrates how businesses and communities can benefit from today’s unprecedented hyper-connectivity. Businesses that once would have struggled to expand overseas can now reach customers in distant locations and time-zones, as the students in the program now understand.”
“It’s always gratifying to see how much the secondary school students in our flagship Company take away from the experience,” said Vivian Lau, president, JA Asia Pacific. “The students gain a tangible, realistic experience of the possibilities of the modern, inter-connected global economy that I believe will benefit them in their future careers, whether as thinkers, employees or real-life entrepreneurs.”
More photos of the JA Asia Pacific Company of the Year competition are available at: https://share.agencyroad.com/message/vZ5ZLroeaH5I0iY3uhNYV0.
About FedEx Express
FedEx Express is the world’s largest express transportation company, providing fast and reliable delivery to more than 220 countries and territories. FedEx Express uses a global air-and-ground network to speed delivery of time-sensitive shipments, by a definite time and date supported by a money-back guarantee[1] .
About FedEx Corp.
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $58 billion, the company offers integrated business applications through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world’s most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 400,000 team members to remain “absolutely, positively” focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. To learn more about how FedEx connects people and possibilities around the world, please visit about.fedex.com.
About JA Asia Pacific Limited
JA Asia Pacific Limited is a member of JA Worldwide®, one of the largest global NGOs dedicated to addressing fundamental social and economic challenges of young people by educating and empowering them to transform their future and own their economic success.
JA Asia Pacific Limited is dedicated to enabling and empowering youth to benefit from the region’s economic development, and to create a positive impact in their lives and communities. Through a dedicated volunteer network, JA Asia Pacific Limited provides in school and after school programs for students which focus on three key content areas: work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. JA Asia Pacific envisions a future that young people dream big and, as a group, drive productive social and economic change.
The 18 Members JA Asia Pacific network is powered by over 30,000 volunteers and mentors from all sectors of society, reaching more than 650,000 students around the region.
For more information, visit www.jaasiapacific.org.
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[1] Subject to relevant terms and conditions