When I read the headline of this article I was not at all surprised. Despite what ever you may have seen in the comedy Community, these colleges are really helping the new entrepreneur and by extension the American economy.
Community colleges are an increasingly enticing option for businesses wanting to start up, because they provide a space for quick, nuts-and-bolts training.
Small businesses are steadily popping up nationwide. The Kauffman Foundation’s Index of Entrepreneurial Activity calculated that 320 out of 100,000 adults created a business each month in 2008, up slightly from 2007.
Community colleges across the country have beefed up their offerings this year as laid-off workers search for training and tips on start-up success.
Chaffey College in Chino, California is introducing a simulation-based entrepreneurship course ‘Small Business Planning and Entrepreneurship’. Based on the award winning simulation – SimVenture – the course allows students set up a virtual company and run it.
In the days when business was not so competitive or so fast moving, learning from mistakes seemed worthwhile. But with today’s competitors able to copy our products, process and strategies at the drop of a hat the skills and capabilities of our employees and managers are becoming a vital source of competitive advantage. This is where games can have a tremendous impact on teaching and learning. 10 million people play the World of Warcraft. Even smaller simulation games like Dofus attracts 450,000 players (Source:mmogchart.com from the Kauffman thoughtbook).
An award-winning simulation game, the ‘Small Business Planning and Entrepreneurship’ simulation allows students to experience all the decision making without the consequences. They constantly balance time and money to try and succeed in business. Burglary, fire, personal illness and interest rate changes are just some of the many events that can pop up within SimVenture. Just like real life, the player has to deal with the issues, make decisions and move the business forward.
Read more on how community colleges are helping new entrepreneurs in this Dallas News article.