Virginia Western Community College has announced a second session of their gig-economy course designed to help students get an inside perspective on the future of work.
“Entrepreneurial Mindset: Gig Economy Edition” will start on June 12 at the RAMP business accelerator, 709 S. Jefferson St., in downtown Roanoke. During the 12-week, 16-hour career-credit program, students will gain perspective into the uncertain but potentially rewarding world of short-term jobs, contract work and freelance assignments.
Students will learn how to bootstrap their way into a successful business rather than taking financial risk. They will learn to identify problems, find solutions and build customer relationships through an iterative experimental process.
The course, taught by Virginia Western RAMP Instructor Sheri Winesett, is ideal for anyone who wants to transition from being an employee to being an independent worker, explore entrepreneurship as a pre-retirement transition, earn extra money while maintaining a current job, transition from unemployed to self-employed, and use their skills, talents and interests to discover their entrepreneurial path.
“Entrepreneurial Mindset: Gig Economy Edition” will run from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. for eight consecutive nights starting June 12. One-on-one mentoring by appointment is included for the four weeks following the course. Instruction will include in-class discussion and online learning.
A grant from the state’s Building Entrepreneurial Economies initiative helps the final cost of this course be only $25 to students. Scholarship applications are now being accepted at: www.virginiawestern.edu/startup. The deadline to apply is May 31.
Virginia Western joins the Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council and the City of Roanoke as one of the three founding members of the RAMP business accelerator. The College offers nationally recognized programs on entrepreneurship in the building’s second-floor classroom. For more information, contact RAMP Innovation Officer Samantha Steidle at ssteidle@virginiawestern.edu.
