entrepreneurial training for displaced workers
Budding entrepreneurs throughout the Charlotte region have a new tool
to help them get their business up and running – and it's free.
A consortium of Small Business Centers throughout North Carolina has
partnered with the Charlotte Regional Entrepreneurial Initiative to
offer the Kauffman Foundation's FastTrac® LaunchPad program to help
individuals who have been affected by the economy turn a negative
situation into an opportunity.
"This partnership with the Charlotte Regional Entrepreneurial
Initiative provides us an opportunity to combine our efforts to
provide entrepreneurial training and support that will encourage
creative ideas and spur business development, " said Renee Hode,
Director of CPCC's Small Business Center.
The Charlotte Regional Entrepreneurial Initiative works with displaced
workers interested in entrepreneurship by providing a variety of
educational programs. This effort is part of Governor Perdue's
Charlotte Regional Economic and Workforce Recovery initiative she
announced on April 22, 2009. Besides the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Recovery Act (ARRA) funding from Governor Perdue,
additional support has come from FastTrac® LaunchPad which is a joint
initiative between the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Deluxe
Corporation Foundation.
FastTrac® NewVenture™, which is part of FastTrac® LaunchPad, provides
the tools to develop business concepts and outlines the critical steps
to a successful business launch. Created and facilitated by successful
entrepreneurs, the FastTrac® NewVenture™ program helps entrepreneurs
identify and reach their target markets, set financial goals, build an
effective team, and more. FastTrac® allows the participants to use
their ideas as case studies, giving them an opportunity to test their
venture in a safe and supportive environment.
This program combines the award-winning, comprehensive FastTrac®
materials, along with new tools to help aspiring entrepreneurs launch
a successful business during these challenging economic times.
Eight community colleges in the Charlotte region will offer this
program through June 2010. For more detailed information or
application instructions, please contact the local Small Business
Center Director.
Catawba Valley Community College, Small Business Center, (828)327-7000
x 4112
· September 21, 2009 – October 7, 2009
· September 22, 2009 – October 8, 2009
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Small Business Center, (704)290-5222
· September 22, 2009 – October 8, 2009
Central Piedmont Community College, Small Business Center, (704)330-6832
· October 5, 2009 – November 11, 2009
· October 6, 2009 – November 10, 2009
Gaston College, Small Business Center, (704)-922-6449
· October 6, 2009 – November 10, 2009
South Piedmont Community College, Small Business Center, (704)290-5222
· September 21, 2009 – October 28, 2009
· October 12, 2009 – November 18, 2009
· November 3, 2009 – December 17, 2009
Mitchell Community College, Small Business Center, (704)878-3227
· December 1, 2009 – December 17, 2009
· February 2, 2009 – February 16, 2009
Stanly Community College, Albemarle Campus - Continuing Education
Building, (704)991-0182
· November 4, 2009 – December 7, 2009
Cleveland Community College, Small Business Center, (704)484-4146
· TBA
The Small Business Center Network (SBCN) is comprised of 58 Small
Business Centers throughout North Carolina that support the
development of new businesses and the growth of existing businesses by
providing community-based entrepreneurial training, counseling and
resource information. Eight local Small Business Centers have formed
a regional consortium to help dislocated and underemployed individuals
secure opportunities for self-employment. They are Catawba Valley,
Cleveland, Central Piedmont, Gaston, Mitchell, Rowan-Cabarrus, South
Piedmont, and Stanly community colleges.
