College and University Business Centers Give Helping Hand to Startups
High Ground Texas must maintain and grow a trained workforce to stay competitive in a thriving economy. Today, High Ground Texas colleges are certainly up to the challenge with custom tailored solutions!
West Texas A&M University offers the WTAMU Enterprise Network, which nurtures new business through its incubation system to give small businesses an opportunity to succeed. The Enterprise Network theme is, “building rural Texas one business at a time.” This joint effort of small business and higher education is having a measurably positive influence. as the National Business Incubation Association reports that 87 percent of new small businesses that graduate from an incubation system remain operational.
The National Business Incubation Association aids the business creation process to increase entrepreneurial success and individual opportunity by strengthening communities around the world. To accomplish this mission, NBIA serves as a clearinghouse of information on incubator management and development issues. The association promotes many activities that support members’ professional development, including; organizing conferences and specialized trainings, conducting research and compiling statistics on the incubation industry, creating publications that describe practical approaches to business incubation and consulting with governments and corporations on incubator development. The NBIA endorses and promotes opportunities like the WTAMU Network in all of their efforts.
Many local colleges and universities are customizing the workforce training they offer to specific businesses. For example, Amarillo College has a model program that supplies workers trained in aerospace manufacturing to Bell Helicopter. Specialized training is what the institutions wants to offer to all businesses.
One local college has over 40,000 students, many of which are working adults involved in some form of business and industry training programs. It’s a way we partner with the community to provide a skilled workforce in a growing economy. Many colleges offers similar training programs with other businesses, including BWXT Pantex, Owens Corning Robotics and area hospitals.
Many High Ground Texas education leaders are also making an effort to tailor training to industry needs. Specialized training from the higher education level to the on the job training level makes for a more dedicated and loyal workforce. More specialized education and training provides for greater income opportunities and career advancement that leads to many years on the job. Something every employer strives for.
