SBA Adds New Training Tools to Increase Opportunities for Vets
WASHINGTON--(Business Wire)--
The U.S. Small Business Administration today announced a three-year agreement to
expand and deliver entrepreneurship training for service-disabled veterans of
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The agreement with SBA`s Office of Veterans Business Development will support
the expansion of the year-long Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with
Disabilities (EBV). The expansion of this innovative management training and
mentorship program will maximize small business programs for veterans,
service-disabled veterans, reserve-component members, and their dependents or
survivors.
Additionally, this week SBA launched a new online contracting tutorial on
www.sba.gov, as part of its ongoing efforts to expand services to veterans and
service-disabled veterans. Veterans and military spouses who own small
businesses can utilize this free online course to learn how to identify and take
advantage of federal contracting opportunities.
"At this important time, with veterans returning from foreign soil in increasing
numbers, we at the SBA are working to ensure they have the resources to
successfully start and run their small businesses. As a result of the leadership
skills they develop during their service, veterans over-index in entrepreneurial
activities," SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills said today. "Our commitment is to
honor that service by helping our nation`s veterans - especially those who
return home with disabilities - fulfill the American Dream. Initiatives like the
Entrepreneurship Bootcamp and our online training courses give veteran business
owners the tools they need to grow, be competitive, and create jobs."
Working with Syracuse University`s Whitman School of Management, the University
of Connecticut School of Business, Mays Business School at Texas A&M, UCLA
Anderson School of Management, Florida State University`s College of Business,
and the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University, SBA`s grant and
other assistance will significantly expand the reach and impact of the EBV
initiative and help maximize economic opportunities for U.S. veterans with
disabilities.
The expansion of SBA`s entrepreneurship training initiatives builds on SBA`s
support for veterans through its Patriot Express loan program. In less than
two-and-a -half year`s time, this pilot loan initiative has supported nearly
$400 million in loans to more than 4,700 veterans and spouses looking to
establish or expand their small businesses. As a result of the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act, which raised loan guarantees to 90 percent and temporarily
eliminated fees, the number of Patriot Express loans increased by more than 20
percent this year over 2008. Local SBA district offices have a listing of
Patriot Express lenders in their areas. Details on the initiative can be found
at www.sba.gov/patriotexpress.
To learn more about additional opportunities for veterans available through the
SBA, please visit www.sba.gov.
Release Number: 09-77
SBA
Dennis Byrne, 202-205-6567
http://www.sba.gov/news
Copyright Business Wire 2009
