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Community Colleges Are The New Business Incubators

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The rumor is community colleges are fallback schools because of price or easy, last-minute admissions. But that isn’t exactly the case anymore. Community colleges are now in the business of providing entrepreneurial incubators and coursework and training mid-level managers for advancement. And that's good news for recent high school grads. With all the  entrepreneurial and managerial programs, there are more opportunities for to get internships and network with established professionals.

Before selecting a community college to follow a start-up or managerial path, consider these options:

Start a business in an entrepreneurial incubators

Entrepreneurial incubators on community college campuses host start up companies and give them the guidance they need in a variety of areas. Helping find investors is not out of the question, whether from one angel or from venture capital, says Frank Kent, retired director economic development Burlington County College in Mount Laurel, NJ. He personally helped start up companies find the money they needed to grow. In turn, these business offered internships to Burlington County College students. The project also inspired a campus-wide contest for business plans. Students won up to $1,000. There are 37 incubators at community colleges across the country, Keith says.

Community colleges also offer coursework in entrepreneurship. The National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship says two thirds of nearly 1200 community colleges offer at least one course on entrepreneurship. About one quarter offer a full program. Students considering starting a business should check out what courses might be available to them in their area of the country. Ask local schools what classes, programs, or supportive services are available on their campuses.

Take online career advancement courses

Schools such as Ivy Tech Community College and Rio Salado College offer online courses for career advancement at a reasonable rate. A full year of courses at Rio Salado is at just under $5,000 for out-of-state tuition and fees if taking 6 credits or more.  Otis White, faculty chairman of the business and management and public administration department at Rio Salado College, explained the two reason why there is an increase in professional management training needs in a USNews.com article.

One reason professional development courses are so important in both the federal government and general workforce is there is a need for managers as a generation of baby boomers retire. Because of hiring freezes and budget cuts during the recession, there's an absence of managers.

He went on to say:

Beyond replacing retiring boomers in the workforce, there are skills that weren't needed to 10 to 15 years ago in the workforce that are now needed: the ability to work in teams and knowledge of accounting processes across all departments of a corporation.

As little as one additional course in finance, accounting, or management, could impact an employee's ability to be promoted. Since businesses may pay for tuition, it's always best for students to check with their current employer's human resources department about tuition reimbursement programs.

Talk to career services and professors

The most important office on any college campus, whether it's a four-college or a community college, is career services. This office that helps students get employed both on and off campus. The trick is to not assume because a student is planning on continuing on to a four-year university to complete their degree that they shouldn't use career services at a community college first.

Solidifying career goals with work experience and shadow days, a day or a few hours spent learning about a profession, can prevent costly major changes. Students who don't have work experience related to their major may be unsure of what the career they're training for actually entails. In addition to late major changes, these students may not like the job they studied for and then return to college for a second degree.

Students should also form their own career services departments by talking to professors in their departments about internship and career exploration opportunities. Joining networking groups in their career field helps, too. These opportunities will help all students, whether entrepreneurs, current professionals or recent high school graduates.

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