Today’s students need to graduate with an entrepreneurial mindset — the ability to spot opportunities, think critically, solve problems, innovate, and collaborate — even if they never start a business of their own. Roughly 40% of Americans already have a side hustle, and nearly half of today’s youth say they plan to start a business someday. As the gig economy reshapes how people earn a living, entrepreneurial thinking has become one of the core workforce-readiness skills employers actively look for in new hires. Communities benefit too: when people are equipped to think like entrepreneurs, they become the change agents who solve real, unmet needs where they live.
These skills matter most for students who need them most. For young people growing up in under-resourced communities, an entrepreneurial mindset can be life-changing — it builds intrinsic motivation, a growth mindset, resourcefulness, adaptability, resilience, calculated risk-taking, and personal agency. Even a small side hustle with minimal startup costs can open the door to extra income, freedom, and a more fulfilling career path, while letting students put their own existing talents and interests to work.
Articles, videos, podcasts, lessons, textbook, PPT slides, and more.
For CTE courses and career pathways while building workplace readiness skills.
Zoom breakout groups for collaboration, resource sharing, and lesson planning.
Entrepreneurship Educator Credential, Certificate of Completion, and Digital Badge.
Entrepreneurship is also remarkably flexible as a teaching tool. It integrates naturally across grade levels, academic subjects, and CTE pathways, giving every student — regardless of career direction — the option to one day run a business of their own. Research consistently links these skills to higher college enrollment, stronger earnings, and greater job satisfaction down the road. And because entrepreneurship taps into students’ own passions and ideas, it tends to boost engagement and motivation in ways traditional instruction often can’t.
The Institute itself is built on experiential learning and a field-tested curriculum. Participants learn core entrepreneurship content alongside instructional best practices, working through classroom-ready materials — news articles, videos, podcasts, infographics, a textbook, slide decks, and a test bank — plus assignments they can bring straight into their own classrooms with little to no extra prep. The content flexes easily for middle and high school students through inquiry-based, performance-based, and project-based learning. Online modules are self-paced, and live Zoom sessions introduce participants to community partners and real grassroots entrepreneurs — both adults and students — who share their own lessons learned, alongside breakout groups for statewide networking, collaboration, and lesson planning. By the end, participants walk away with a set of co-created lessons from Part A and a first draft business plan from Part B, ready to put into practice.
Completion is built to fit a teacher’s schedule: join a statewide cohort on a set calendar, or work through the material independently at your own pace. Part A and Part B can be completed in either order to earn full CCEE Entrepreneurship Educator Certification, or each part can stand alone for professional development hours. Every completer receives a Certificate of Completion and a Digital Badge alongside their certification.
Note: This Institute is aligned with the U.S. Entrepreneurship Certification Examination, giving teachers the content knowledge, instructional strategies, curriculum, and resources they need to teach entrepreneurship while preparing high school students to pass the exam. Exam details are available here.
Sept. 14 – Nov. 16, 2026
25 Hours of Professional Development
5 Zoom Classes, Thursdays 4:00–6:00 PM PT — Sept 17, Oct 1, 15, 29, Nov 12
Topics: Types of Entrepreneurship, Workplace Intrapreneurship, Entrepreneurial Mindset, Entrepreneur Self-Assessment, Problem-Solving & Research, Entrepreneurial Pathways, Business Opportunity Recognition, Innovation & Design Thinking, Lean Canvas, Lean Startup
Jan. 11 – Mar. 15, 2027
30 Hours of Professional Development
5 Zoom Classes, Thursdays 4:00–6:00 PM PT — Jan 14, 28, Feb 11, 25, Mar 11
Topics: Business Plan, Competitive Analysis, Marketing & Branding, Operations & Resources, Management & Networking, Start-up Costs & Funding Sources, Accounting & Financial Statements, Business Structures & Taxes, Risk Mitigation, Elevator Pitch
All class sessions have recordings available.
$550 for both Parts A & B | $275 for Part A or Part B individually
55 Hours of Professional Development. Optional 3 hours of undergraduate or graduate university credit available.
CCEE Entrepreneurship Educator Certification, Certificate of Completion, and Digital Badge included.
Questions? Email Dr. Cheryl Ayers at [email protected]
