The University of Akron is now a contributing part of Young Entrepreneurs Consortium, a group that specializes in teaching educational tools and skills to other teachers, preparing them to educate a range of students about their acquired business tips.

The Ohio Department of Education’s Straight A Fund competition grants the College of Business and Administration $13.6 million to further educate other educators. With ambitions to prime students, beginning in middle school, to be future leaders, this consortium prepares educators on how to train future leaders.

“In order for the high school teachers to teach dual enrollment courses in their schools they must be licensed by the State of Ohio in their area of expertise,” explained William Hauser, Interim Assistant Dean and Director of Graduate Programs in Business. “This is the role that the UA College of Business Administration plays in the grant.”

The future educators participate in a six course, 18 credit hour program designed by the CBA that provides the teachers with a license needed to teach the students.

Those teachers joining the CBA faculty team are in charge of educating roughly 26,000 students from 11 different countries, all with hopes of learning better business and entrepreneur skills.

This work-based learning environment aims to teach students different tools they can apply in their workplaces and helps students achieve an associate’s degree without attending a college.

The job of the educators is to also encourage participants to further their educational standings by going into a four-year undergraduate program. The Young Entrepreneurs Consortium’s ambition is to offer students with basic skills needed to succeed after high school. Providing these resources to high school teachers enables their students to gain necessary educational resources and a better understanding of post-high school career options.

When asked about overall goals that can come from the program, Hauser said, “The opportunities for the students to achieve both a high school diploma and a college degree will be greatly enhanced.”