Colleges Now Teachingentrepreneurial Skills
Posted on: Thursday, 24 July 2008, 03:00 CDT
By Stu Neal
Business success usually entails finding a solution for something people are seeking and the ability to provide that solution to that market while turning a profit.
For many years there was an equivalent to that in education. Students were seeking solid, good-paying careers. Schools provided the solution: the education that prepared students for those jobs.
In those days, one could expect to find a good job and stay with that company for many years. It was almost unheard of to find a class or program that taught the skills required to own a business or to create jobs.
Boy, have times changed. Today the average person can expect to have between three and five major career changes in a lifetime. So what do the youth of today want to learn to prepare themselves for their future? Do our schools and colleges offer the educational resources and programs to meet those needs? The answers may surprise you.
According to the 2007 Junior Achievement Interprise Poll on Teens and Entrepreneurship, nearly two-thirds indicated that at some point in their lives they would like to own a business. When asked what employment alternative would offer the most satisfaction, that figure rose to 79.6 percent, versus 9.6 percent who indicated they preferred working for a company.
The same study disclosed that the vast majority of those students - more than 81 percent - were very aware of the need for further education to assist in entrepreneurial success.
Slowly, colleges are realizing that a huge market of budding entrepreneurs are looking for a solution.
For the most part, these are not students seeking MBAs. They simply want the basic skills to run a small business.
Colleges are adapting into formal curriculum programs that previously were left to work-force development programs or adult education.
The National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship was founded in 2002 on the campus of Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, Mass. It spent nearly a year researching community colleges across the country and found that out of more than 1,200 colleges, less than 10 percent offered any type of entrepreneurship education as part of the formal curriculum.
NACCE is devoted to the mission of accelerating entrepreneurship education and student business incubation. In 2003 the organization held its first conference with 150 attendees. Today NACCE boasts more than 600 members representing nearly 200 community colleges and continues to grow.
Universities are following suit. Brown University began its Entrepreneurship Program in 1998 and today offers lectures from some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the country. The student- run organization also teaches elevator pitches and business plan competition. The program is funded by corporate sponsors and alumni contributions. A quick Google search displays names such as Cornell, Ball State, Babson, Columbia - the list goes on and on.
So what makes a good entrepreneurship program? According to Entrepreneur.com, some essential elements are experiential learning, approachable professors, mentorship programs, faculty experienced in entrepreneurship, community involvement, and partnerships with entrepreneurial organizations.
Stu Neal is chief executive officer and principal of the SMN Consulting Group in Mechanicsville. He can be contacted at SpeakingBusiness@aol.com. Visit his Web site at www.StuNeal.com.
MEMO: TALKING BUSINESS
(c) 2008 Richmond Times - Dispatch. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: Richmond Times - Dispatch
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