George Brown College reaches out to community businesses with launch of
Institute of Entrepreneurship and Community Innovation

    
    Student institute to assist social enterprises and not-for-profits with
    business consulting services
    

TORONTO, Nov. 17 /CNW/ - George Brown College's Centre for Business opened its doors today to the new Institute of Entrepreneurship and Community Innovation, a living lab where George Brown students, with help from their professors, will provide business consulting services to local social enterprises, not-for-profit organizations and for-profit businesses. For clients of The Institute, this means low-cost access to physical and intellectual resources and facilitation of local and international strategic alliances. For George Brown College Centre students, The Institute provides the ideal environment to apply entrepreneurial skills with real clients while developing a network of peers, mentors and future funders.

"The Institute is the ultimate 'win-win' partnership, offering a unique opportunity for highly-trained, job-ready George Brown students to work with clients looking to launch, manage or grow their businesses," said Mark Simpson, a professor with the college's Centre for Business and the coordinator of The Institute. "By embracing community innovation, everyone is given a chance to succeed."

George Brown College is committed to be a leader in supporting community innovation - bringing entrepreneurial business minded approaches to address social and economic issues in the Greater Toronto Area. The college's work on projects such as the Regent Park pre-apprenticeship program, the Assistant Cook Extended Training (ACET) program with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and the Colleges Integrating Immigrants to Employment (CIITE) program, illustrates George Brown's ability to effectively partner with other organizations to make tangible differences in the community. In this spirit, the Institute is looking to undertake projects that inspire this type of community innovation.

The Institute for Entrepreneurship and Community Innovation is run by the George Brown Centre for Business, one of the college's fastest growing academic division. The centre's unique, career-focused course content is designed in consultation with industry partners and offers hands-on, experiential learning that spans from the classroom to the boardroom. For more information on The Institute, please visit www.georgebrown.ca/theinstitute.

About George Brown College

With nine out of 10 graduates hired within six months of graduation, Toronto's George Brown College has established a reputation for equipping students with the skills, industry experience and credentials to pursue the careers of their choice. From its two main campuses located across the downtown core, George Brown offers nearly 160 programs across a wide variety of professions. Students can earn diplomas, post-graduate certificates, industry accreditations, apprenticeships and four-year bachelor degrees. More than 22,000 students attend the College (full-time equivalent) with about 68,000 registered with the George Brown College School of Continuing Education. For more information, please visit www.georgebrown.ca.

SOURCE George Brown College

For further information: For further information: Paul Zanettos, George Brown College, Mobile: (416) 893-5435, pzanetto@georgebrown.ca