ICEIL Conference 2020 Amity University, New Deli, India
By: Bernie Rhinerson
Tags: Community College, Entrepreneurship, Higher Education, Workforce Development

ICEIL Conference 2020 - Amity University, New Delhi, India

Remarks by Bernie Rhinerson, Board Trustee, San Diego Community College District

December 19, 2020

https://www.amity.edu/iceil/default.asp

Good afternoon and thank you for this invitation to participate in this remarkable conference on Entrepreneurial Opportunities and Education. Being the only panelist from the United States on this panel and possibly for this Conference, I am indeed honored to be with you.

I am here representing the San Diego Community College District in San Diego California. It is the middle of the night for me, 1:30 AM Pacific Standard Time, but I wanted to be here to share with you some insights about entrepreneurial education offered by community colleges in the United States and of course to learn from my esteemed colleagues on this panel a little about your work in India, a place I hope to visit after this crazy global pandemic we are all suffering though.

Let me begin by telling you about my role at the San Diego Community College District and my work on the national level with other community college trustees around our country through the Association of Community College Trustees, ACCT.

After a long career in the field of public relations and communications, I was elected to the Board of Trustees of the San Diego Community College District in 2012. In November, I was just reelected to my third 4 year term on the Board. I am one of five Trustees who govern on of the largest community college systems in the United States, with four colleges serving more than 100,000 students in the San Diego region. Our Colleges, Mesa College, Miramar College and City College all offer 2 year Associate Degrees and numerous career focused certificate programs. Through Mesa College we now offer a Baccalaureate Degree in Health Information Management. Our College of Continuing Education serves 40,000 students offering short term career certificate programs.

Our Board oversees the general policy direction of the district, a budget of more than $300 million and a staff of more than 5,000 faculty and support professionals. Since joining the Board in 2012, we have strongly supported the addition of more entrepreneurial education programs and education in communication skills so essential for successful entrepreneurial careers.

San Diego’s Entrepreneurial Environment

In this brief time I have with you, let me share an overview of the entrepreneurial education opportunities at our colleges and how those programs are preparing students to start their own business and to survive in the “Gig” economy.

Let me begin with an overview of the entrepreneurial environment in our region. According to a 2017 survey by the San Diego-Imperial Center of Excellence for Labor Market Research:

• San Diego/Imperial County is home to more than 26,000 startups and small businesses.

• In San Diego County, 95% of business establishments employ fewer than 50 employees. Small businesses are a primary driving economic force.

So clearly in our region, Entrepreneurship is a Viable Field for Students!

That same survey from San Diego-Imperial Center of Excellence for Labor Market Research found that more than 1,800 San Diego/Imperial County community college students who exited a Business and Entrepreneurship program experienced a 37% increase in earnings.

And in a 2019 survey of independent “Gig” economy workers in our region found that more than 30% of Gig workers surveyed wanted to receive more training on how they can market themselves, increase sales and manage finances.

Entrepreneurial Education Opportunities at SDCCD

To respond to this demand for entrepreneurial education, the San Diego Community College District offers a full range of degrees and certificates in Entrepreneurship and Small Business. Degrees range from a focused Associate Degree in Entrepreneurship at Miramar College, an Associate Degree In Entrepreneurial Small Business Management at City College, and a very unique Certificate in Cannabis Dispensary Operations from City College to serve that new and growing industry in California.

Most importantly, all of our degrees include courses in soft skills or communication skills that are so important for students to be successful in the workforce and the entrepreneurial environment.

A recent study by Burning Glass Technologies found that, on average, one in three skills requested in 25 million U.S. job postings is a baseline skill. According to studies from Harvard and Stanford, occupations with the greatest increase in employment and wage over time have been those that require both “soft” and “technical” skills.

And a April 2020 study of job postings in the San Diego region by Center for Excellence for Labor Market Research found that 21st century employability skills in online job postings could be grouped into six categories:

1. Effective Oral and Written Communication. LinkedIn Learning (2020) identified “communication” as one of the top three skills in the workplace.

2. Collaboration Across Networks. As virtual and global collaboration increases, employees must be able to work with people of different generations and backgrounds.

3. Agility and Adaptability. Employers need workers who are resilient, adaptable, and flexible to change.

4. Initiative and Entrepreneurialism. “Leadership and management” is also one of the top three skills in the workplace.

5. Accessing and Analyzing Information.

6. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving.

To prepare our students with these needed communication skills, our colleges offer these additional courses that prepare our students in these areas:

• Communication

• Problem Solving

• Literacy (Quantitative and Informational)

• Ethical Reasoning

• Knowledge of and Interaction with Cultures and the Physical World

• And more…

Our goal is to not only teach specific career job skills but also help students gain understanding and practice with essential skills such as teamwork, communication, adaptability, creativity, problem solving, conflict resolution, and more.

Examples of courses for an Entrepreneurship program student that give Communication and Listening Skill Development include:

• English 101 Reading and Composition

• Communication Studies 103 Oral Communication

• Entrepreneurship Program Courses for Additional Skill Development

• Business 119 Business Communication (topics include interpersonal communication and international/cross-cultural communication

• Business 150 Human Relations in Business (introduces students to human behavior in business settings)

Each of our four colleges has programs specifically designed to support students who want to pursue an entrepreneurial career.

At Miramar College, in addition to the program course work, students are offered

· Entrepreneurship Workshops

· Start Up Support Services

· Intensive Mentorship

· Coding Application & Web Design support

· Legal Advice & Law Workshops

· Branding & Design Clinics

See this video: https://youtu.be/__LaN2pw4_A

At City College our students have On-Campus Opportunities to lead businesses:

· Student-run food pantry

· Student-run Fantastique

· Student-run Business Resources Center

Our College of Continuing Education was the 2019 Entrepreneurial College of the Year awarded by The National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE). NACCE is the nation’s leading organization focused on promoting entrepreneurship through community colleges and represents 340+ community and technical colleges who serve more than three million students.

The College of Continuing Education has 7 learning centers across the City of San Diego offering career education. I encourage you to view an inspiring YouTube video of one of our students who recently moved to San Diego from India who took courses in Fashion Design to start her own clothing business. See: https://youtu.be/slvTAZc80Ng.

The College of Continuing Education is also fast becoming a leader in online career education. And I am very excited to announce that Our College of Continuing Education has recently entered into a partnership with Unmudl to offer a large group of career skill courses online to students globally. Now, students in India are able to take an entrepreneurial education course from our college in San Diego California or from several other community colleges within the Unmudl college network.

See: https://unmudl.com/colleges/san-diego-continuing-education-79

In particular I would call your attention to the Small Business Planning Certificate which is a two-course Certificate Program that provides students with the principles, practices, strategies, and requirements needed to form and manage a small business. See: https://unmudl.com/colleges/san-diego-continuing-education-79/courses/small-business-planning-certificate-268

Unmudl is developing a national network of community colleges to deliver job skill courses online to a global student audience. Currently the Unmudl network has 7 colleges offering a total of 233 online courses.

See: https://unmudl.com/colleges

Working to Support Entrepreneurial Education

In addition to being a Board Trustee at the San Diego Community College District, I am also a member of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT). In these roles, I am working to be a strong advocate for the expansion of entrepreneurial education in our community college system and to ensure that our entrepreneurial programs include vital courses in communications to help students be successful in entrepreneurial careers.

At the national level, ACCT is working with community college boards across the U.S. to educate trustees about the importance of including entrepreneurial education as a key element our workforce training programs. We are also advocating for more Federal funding to support entrepreneurial programs and apprenticeships.

We are at a critical time in our history and in our global history when colleges must provide critical education and re-skilling to prepare students for the post pandemic economy. A recent ACCT report “Reskilling for the Pandemic Recession and Recovery” highlighted the importance of community colleges in workforce development and concluded that Colleges can improve reskilling programs by increasing financial aid, focusing on the unique needs of adult and out-of-work learners, and offering hybrid educational options.

So in conclusion, I look forward to continuing to be a passionate advocate for entrepreneurial education not only at our colleges but nationally and globally.

I believe that in the post pandemic world, the workplace will be dramatically changed and that as educational leaders we have a responsibility to help our educational programs evolve to prepare students for that future. Independent “Gig” work, small businesses, virtual online businesses will continue to grow even more after the pandemic and this will offer huge entrepreneurial opportunities for the students who are educated and prepared.

Thank you again for inviting me and best wishes to all of you for success in 2021.