A-HEC: President Bush as well as community colleges nationwide have put a lot of emphasis on workforce development. How does E-ship education fit within this mandate? (click here to read, watch or listen to President Bush's speech at the AACC convention)

AMS: It depends on how one views or defines “workforce development”. I look at it in the broadest sense and believe that the more we encourage and nurture the development of small businesses, the more we will impact the economy of this country. Small business has always driven our economy and if we provide the tools to enhance the success of more start ups that can only be a good thing. Part of our role should also be to assist existing businesses. The more assistance we can provide the more likely it is that they will stay healthy, grow and employee more people. Most community colleges already work with small businesses by providing contract training. E-ship assistance carries this to another level but it’s still about workforce development or if you prefer, economic development.

A-HEC: For those institutions interested in establishing their own entrepreneurial programs, what advice would you offer? Where can they go to learn more?

AMS: There is a significant increase in the level of interest in establishing entrepreneurial programs on campuses, both two year and four year. This has become apparent from our research as well as the attendance at the first two conferences sponsored by the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE). NACCE was founded at Springfield Technical Community College and launched its first conference in Oct of 2003 and its second in Kansas City in Oct. of 2004. The feedback from attendees was very favorable making it abundantly clear that this is a subject that people feel passionately about and want to move to the next level. I would urge interested parties to take a closer look at NACCE on their web site, www.NACCE.com.

Depending on where an institution is in relation to entrepreneurial programs and where it wants to be, determines how they would go about moving on to the next level. I have presented these various options to a number of colleges and at conferences with the passionate and unrelenting belief that community colleges have a wonderful opportunity to establish this niche market in their service area. From individual non-credit seminars to degree programs to small business incubators to the establishment of the STCC Y.E.S. model. The marketplace awaits. The only question is: who wants to step to the plate?

For more information about the programs at STCC and the Andrew M Scibelli Enterprise Center go to www.stcc.edu.

References:

Florida, R. (2004). America’s looming creativity crisis. Harvard Business Review, 82(10), 122-136.

Florida, R. L. (2002). The rise of the creative class: and how it’s transforming work, leisure, community and everyday life. New York, NY: Basic Books.

	Table of Contents Introduction The Emergence of E-Ship Programs Comparison to Related Programs Workforce Development and How to Start

"The marketplace awaits. The only question is: who wants to step to the plate?"

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