New Business Courses at Inver Hills Target Entrepreneurs

Imagine working for 20-30 years in the same job at a single business. Now, imagine that you were laid off during the recession.

What would you do next?

That’s the question that educators at Inver Hills Community College hope to help older members of the workforce answer through a series of seven entrepreneurship classes offered this spring by the college. The courses, which target unemployed or underemployed adults ages 55 and older, will walk attendees through the steps to self-employment and small business ownership. Fees for the courses range from free to $35.

Hosted by the community college’s Academy of Lifelong Learning, the courses will teach participants to write business plans, compete in the business world, track expenses and inventory and use advertising effectively, according to Inver Hills Director of Business Development Peter Hoch.

“We’re just trying to help them with their process and decision making and hopefully provide some resources for them to make clearer decisions one way or another,” Hoch said.

Low cost education resources can be especially helpful for older, unemployed or underemployed members of the workforce, said Mark Jacobs, the Dakota County Workforce Center’s workforce development director. Many older workers have turned to entrepreneurism and new business ownership after losing their jobs during the recession, Jacobs said.

In 2009, during the worst throes of the recession, the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office was receiving an average of 5,400 new businesses filings a month — a much higher pace than the average number of new business filings in 2007, when the economy was more stable. Workers who are 55 years old and older made up roughly 20-25 percent of the total users of the Dakota County Workforce Center in 2010, according to statistics released by the workforce center.

Classes, like those offered by Inver Hills, can introduce people to the complexities involved in opening a new business, Jacobs said, and help them decide if self-employment is the right step for them.

“The recession and this current economy have thrown a curveball to a lot of older workers,” Jacobs said. “We’ve seen a lot of folks who have worked for 20-30 years with companies get laid off.”

The courses are funded by a $10,000 grant from Xcel Energy. This is the second year the college has received a grant from the company, according to Inver Hills Community College Executive Director of the Foundation Gail Morrison. Last year, Morrison said, the college offered similar employment classes for older workers, but focused on resume writing, the job search and upgrading employees’ basic skills, Morrison said. After meeting with the workforce centers and other employment support groups, Morrison said, the college decided to refocus, and use the grant money to teach self-employment skills.

“We’re a community college, we serve the needs of everybody in the community,” Morrison said. “We see our role as an important player in the training needs for industry and businesses in our community.”

ABOUT THE CLASSES:

The business classes began on March 8 and run through May at Inver Hills Community College. Course titles include: “Over 50 and Now What?,” “Profit and Cash, How to Write a Business Plan,” “Advertising and Marketing Your Small Business,” “Becoming a Consultant,” “Introduction to Internet Marketing” and ProWrite — Professional Writing Certificate Program.”

For more information, or to register for the courses, call (651) 450-3578, e-mail training@inverhills.edu or visit the Center for Professional and Workforce Development in room 287 of the College Center building on the Inver Hills campus.