Do you want to own your business someday? Do you have a brilliant idea for a product or service but aren’t sure how to turn that into a feasible company? Many people have a goal of becoming an entrepreneur but lack the knowledge and skills to get there. In fact, research shows that statement is true: polling individuals showed that as many as 37% of people in America have genuine aspirations to become their own boss and a further 25% might seriously consider it.
In order for people to follow their dreams and be successful, entrepreneurship education is a must. We’re taking a look at what entrepreneurship education is and what the benefits are for students of all ages.
What Is Entrepreneurship Education?
Simply put, entrepreneurship education prepares people to start their own businesses by providing them with the necessary information and training. While there is no one pathway to success for entrepreneurs or a specific education requirement, there are classes and educational models that can prepare students for becoming successful entrepreneurs.
What Are the Examples of Entrepreneurship Education?
Entrepreneurship education can take different forms, and some people may gravitate towards one or another based on their individual learning style and preferences. Again, there’s no rule that says you must pursue only one of these pathways—picking and choosing from these options may be the best option for you. Types of entrepreneurship education include:
DIY Education
There are many entrepreneurs who learn the skills for running a successful business through a mixture of self-learning sources. Drawing on life experiences, online resources, and traditional education works well for some people, especially those who are confident and self-motivated.
Learning From Experts
Another excellent source of entrepreneurship education is learning from someone who has business expertise. A mentor can help you learn practical skills and understand how to get your business idea off the ground. One of the benefits from receiving entrepreneurship education from a guide is that they may be able to connect you with a network of other professionals.
Experiential Curriculum
Places like venture studios may have a dedicated program with an innovative entrepreneurship curriculum to help the next generation of entrepreneurs get started on their journey. These programs often have a learn-by-doing model, where entrepreneurs are connected to resources and investors as they develop their business idea.
How Does Entrepreneurship Education Benefit Learners?
The benefits of entrepreneurship for students of all ages, from high school or college to workforce learners, are many. These benefits include:
- Empowering and Enabling Learners: It’s one thing to have an idea for a business, but it’s a whole other thing to actually carry it out. Entrepreneurship education helps learners develop confidence in their ability to bring a business idea to fruition and enables them with the knowledge they need to do it themselves.
- Learning Critical Thinking: There are many issues that come up for entrepreneurs, and learning to identify, analyze, and solve said challenges is an important part of entrepreneurship education. Critical thinking for entrepreneurs is a specific skill that lends itself well to creating innovative and analytical professionals.
- Enhancing Individual Competence: Entrepreneurship education provides learners with a wide variety of life skills, from things like understanding how to collaborate with others to learning how to solve complex problems to learning how to be self-motivated.
- Promoting Diversity of Perspective: One of the most important benefits of entrepreneurship education is that it expands the perspective of learners and helps them become more inclusive and able to recognize a wider range of opportunities and experiences.
How Can Entrepreneurship Help Students in the Future?
As we’ve all seen from the COVID-19 pandemic, trying to predict the future is impossible. However, entrepreneurship education can help prepare students for the unexpected twists and turns of business through developing their skills and encouraging them to be innovative and adaptable.
Here at NEXT Studios, we have two programs to help learners become successful entrepreneurs. NEXT Up is our program for new studio entrepreneurs that begins with an intense “DIscovery Week”. A one-week event designed to “pressure test” your idea. Through small group coaching and one to one deep-dives, you’ll learn about and use the Lean Canvas model to identify problems and perfect the solutions you offer to customers, select your key metrics, and pinpoint your competitive advantages. At the close of the week, you’ll possess the core of a business plan around your idea and increased confidence in your ability to take the next steps in your entrepreneurial journey.
Our other program we’ve developed is NEXT University, an educational experience to help workforce learners become more innovative and take their businesses into the future. Our series of experiences taken from our startup studio process helps learners unleash innovation at their organizations. At NEXT University, you’ll examine the societal megatrends that are driving innovation, learn about the common barriers to innovation and how they are affecting your team, practice human-oriented innovation design thinking, and engage in real startup innovation teams.
Entrepreneurship Education Unleashed at NEXT Studios
If you’re interested in becoming an entrepreneurship student, we can help. Here at NEXT Studios, a coalition of experienced entrepreneurs and community partners, we can help you develop your entrepreneurship skills through education, mentorship, and action. We are a studio designed and operated by entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs, with entrepreneurs. If you’re ready to get started with your entrepreneurship education, take the next step with NEXT Studios.