The Impact of Student-Run Enterprises at a Midwestern Technical College

Abstract

This paper evaluates how student-run enterprises, a form of work-based learning, impacts students’ entire educational journey and overall confidence upon graduation. As schools see increased time, money, and resources devoted to student-run enterprises it is important to understand the student’s perspective, how they are impacted by student-run enterprises. Graduates from four programs at a midwestern technical college, Agronomy Management, Residential Construction, Cosmetology, and Culinary Management, were surveyed to try and help determine how students’ educational journey was impacted by participation in a student-run enterprise and how participating in a student-run enterprise impacted a student’s confidence level prior to obtaining a job within their industry of study. This study was performed by creating a survey that 14 students completed within the four programs. Results from the study showed that student-run enterprises for this group of students was a positive learning experience due to the hands-on real-life aspect of the experience. Student confidence was slightly positively impacted by the students participating in this study. Further research should be conducted to understand at a larger scale how student perceptions of confidence and how student-run enterprises impact the overall college experience for students. There is enough data to support continuing to implement and utilize existing student-run enterprises at institutions as they have trended towards positive in all manners of this research.