Entrepreneurship Resource Centers

About

Launched in Spring 2021, the KHSD ROC & CTEC Entrepreneurship Resource Centers (ERC) educates local 7th-12th graders in developing an entrepreneurial mindset by engaging in creative problem-solving, critical thinking, and entrepreneurial business activities. The ERC connects our youth to our local entrepreneurial community and business ecosystem fostering the growth of a skilled workforce and job creators who are competent, creative, and innovative. The ERC currently offers four courses:

Our students have learned how to use an entrepreneurial mindset to create value for others by seeing problems as opportunities and using their knowledge and talents to solve those problems. Our students know how to research, validate, and pitch a business idea. Our advanced students are using the customer discovery process to determine if they will pivot or proceed in bringing their business ideas to market and seek capital investments. Since its inception, 761 students have completed at least one of the ERC education programs offered with 113 business pitches.

The ERC also opened an Ideation Lab at each location. The equipment including 3-D printers, MakerBot, and direct-to-garment printers help our students bring their ideas to life and offer a direct link to creativity and innovation. To date, over 100 student projects have been completed including logo and brand design and MVP development.

The ERC hosted the second annual KHSD Youth Entrepreneurship Education Summit in September 2023. More than 600 local entrepreneurship and Virtual Enterprise International students attended the full-day business conference featuring interactive workshops, break-out sessions, and networking opportunities with community business partners. The event culminated with a luncheon featuring the dynamic duo, Garrett Brown and Colin Coggins.

Many K-12 students have entrepreneurial aspirations, but the problem is that few resources are available to nurture and further develop these interests. Many of the limited resources in the community available to aspiring entrepreneurs are geared toward adults only. Yet, the research shows that youth entrepreneurship education has multiple benefits including business creation, well-paying job creation, and a more competitive economy:

^{Youth entrepreneurship education research has shown that students trained in entrepreneurship and who engaged in a classroom-based enterprise also had a higher sense of personal control and self-esteem than a comparable cohort. (Rasheed & Rasheed, 2003, pp. 15-16).}

The ERC is committed to ensuring all students who are interested in entrepreneurial education have access to the opportunities and programs offered. The importance of intentionality with regard to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) will be considered as the program continues to grow. Specific outreach activities as well as community partnerships will be developed and implemented to ensure that all students from all backgrounds have awareness of the programs offered and support in enrolling and participating in the ERC programs.

The KHSD ROC & CTEC Entrepreneurship Resource Centers aim to be the solution to the problem by becoming the premier provider of youth entrepreneurship education in California and beyond.

Virtual Enterprise International

In addition, The ERC supported the efforts of the eleven local KHSD Virtual Enterprise International (VEI) business planning teams. The KHSD has participated in the program for more than 25 years. The ERC launched a pilot program to create a more equitable, inclusive, and comprehensive network of business professionals who support the success of all our local VEI Teams. Local business professionals came to the ERC and provided advising sessions on several occasions to all local VEI teams as they moved through the competition’s phases. In 2023, five local schools sent 75 students to NYC for the national competition, and they made history! KHSD VE teams swept the national business plan competition placing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd! KHSD VE teams placed nationally in finance, marketing, and human resources competitions