Higher Education Small Business Centers Give Training to Startups
High Ground Texas must maintain and grow a trained workforce to stay competitive in a thriving economy. Today, local higher education institutions 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 their best chance at success. The networks theme is, building rural Texas one business at a time. This joint effort of business and higher education is having a tremendously positive influence on the local economy, as the National Business Incubation Association reports that 87 percent of small businesses that graduate from an incubation system remain in business.
The National Business Incubation Association advances the business creation process to increase entrepreneurial success and individual opportunity by strengthening communities worldwide. To accomplish this mission, NBIA serves as a clearinghouse of information on incubator management and development issues. The association engages in many activities that support members professional development, including; organizing conferences and specialized trainings, conducting research and compiling statistics on the incubation industry, providing 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 higher education institutions are customizing the workforce training they offer to specific businesses.
One local college has over 40,000 students, most all of them working adults involved in some form of business and industry training programs. It is 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.