CAREER STARTERS: On Friday, Village Capital announced a three-month venture development program for 12 startups aspiring to bridge the skills gap between education and employment. After three weekend workshops flush with business advice and industry expertise, two of the startups will claim $75,000 each. AT&T and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation partnered with Village capital to fund the initiative.
Among the participants, one startup develops project-based curriculum, another connects high school freshmen with colleges, and one brings industry experts into classrooms virtually. Most of the startups tend to connect students at one stage of the educational journey to the next: from high schools to colleges and from colleges to jobs. They either facilitate that connection themselves or develop classroom tools and curriculum focused on the skills and competencies necessary to arrive at that next step.
“Education is the passport to a high-paying job, but too many students lack the academic resources and opportunities to position them for success,” Nasir Qadree, head of education at Village Capital said in a press release. “The 12 entrepreneurs in our Education US 2016 cohort represent the top early-stage ventures today tackling academic success and career-readiness. We’re excited to connect them with the mentors and resources they need to scale their ideas.”
