Hennepin Technical College Develops New Programs for Entrepreneurs
Mark Johnson, academic dean at Hennepin Technical College, says two new programs offered at the school will help feature small business owners who specialize in pastry baking and music.
“We have a business program that we’ve been running entrepreneurship classes for a long time. A lot of students who go out to small businesses come out of our college,” explained Johnson. “So we realized there’s a need to be specialized in some areas.”
Both the new Baking and Pastry program and the Music Business and Entrepreneurship program that launches in January feature specialized, hands-on learning, as well as elements of marketing and accounting that help small businesses.
“They are going to learn the skills decorating cakes, and making specialty cakes and confections, but they are also going to learn how to plan a business, how to build a business, and how to sustain a business,” said Johnson.
Classes are a blend of hands-on, classroom and virtual learning.
“We do try to make sure we are meeting the needs of students and we’re trying to make sure we are being as convenient as we can too,” said Johnson.
The Baking and Pastry program is already underway, and the Music Business and Entrepreneurship program starts up in January. Johnson says the college is already seeing quite a bit of interest coming out of high schools.
“We are working with a lot of businesses around the Twin Cities. It’s a vibrant music scene as everyone knows, so we have a lot of partnerships in the pipelines,” said Johnson. “Students who come in will have the opportunity for internships. They will learn how to be music producers. They will learn how to be in the music industry and be successful.”
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Mark Johnson is an academic dean at Hennepin Technical College.
