Four Years In, Still the Most Valuable Lesson

When business owners and executives complain about this current generation of students, the number one attribute that is attacked is this generation’s lack of communication skills. Actually, their lack of “in-person” communication skills–from shaking hands to making eye contact to driving conversation, there is a perception (and rightly so) that our current students are deficient in these skills.

And because entrepreneurship education is grounded in real-world skills, setting students up for success no matter what the future brings, this lack of communication skills seemed like a good problem opportunity to tackle.

So we incorporated a true-to-life networking mixer into our Foundations of Entrepreneurship class. This class, which drives students through four impactful projects to lay the foundation of the entrepreneurial mindset, is the gateway to all entrepreneurship opportunities, and is also the highest-rated class of our entire program.

For the networking mixer, students spend two weeks preparing, honing, and developing their communication skills before finding themselves in a 90-minute long networking event with 25+ adults from a range of industries.

The students need to meet EVERY adult and not only shake hands, but also drive the conversation into meaningful territory. Armed with questions ranging from “What’s got you most excited now?” to “What’s the most important thing I should know about you?” these students engage and grow in real-time.

While it is sometimes the most terrifying class period for the students (especially for our freshmen), it is the one they vote as most impactful overall. Here are some of the specific comments from the students:

“I got a lot better as I went along and met more people.” 

“I feel more confident, like I’m ready for anything.”

“I made some great connections and even connected with some people on LinkedIn!”

This particular round, we even had a student land a summer internship with a local business owner. Classes like this, which entrepreneurship education is filled with, are differentiated from traditional learning simply because they are REAL - they are imbued with practical skill-building lessons that transcend the classroom and deal directly with success in life.

Want to bring this program to your school? Let’s get started today…

FOUR STEPS TO LAUNCHING AN ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM

1. Select the teacher - I have a tool to help with selection

2. Identify between eight and twelve students for the pilot class

3. Train and certify the teacher - I have a program for this with curriculum included

4. Start the year-long class - Follow the plan and an on-campus business will be launched mid-year

After the launch, student interest will drive the future growth of the program. For more on the process, visit our website at https://www.seedtreegroup.com/

The future of education is bright indeed!