Workforce & Founders

Are You Real-world Ready?

Top test scores don’t guarantee real-world success. Whether you’re graduating, pivoting careers, or launching a business, NFTE equips you with the entrepreneurial mindset today’s economy demands. Move beyond the classroom to build the durable, human skills employers value most and entrepreneurs need to succeed: initiative, adaptability, collaboration, problem-solving, future orientation, opportunity recognition, innovation, and a comfort with risk. Don’t wait for your dream future to begin. Start it up yourself!

EMPOWERED TO OWN THEIR FUTURE

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NFTE’s Start It Up! program features skill-building curriculum and services driven by a work-based learning model. Tailor the 35-hour course for focused entrepreneurship exploration or embed it across disciplines. Learners beyond high school discover best practices via 14 engaging modules that guide them step-by-step—from business idea to business launch! Start It Up! students…

  • Explore the entrepreneurial mindset and core entrepreneurial traits.
  • Enjoy hands-on assignments, interactive quizzes, embedded articles and videos, and templates for business deliverables.
  • Think creatively about leveraging skills and talents to create a new business or level up a side hustle
  • Refine business ideas and initial planning to viable concepts with executable next steps
  • Gain the knowledge and tools to act entrepreneurially in business and in a global career market that values innovation and problem solving

Research Shows the Entrepreneurial Mindset …

  • Comprises 8 noncognitive skills valued by employers
  • Boosts educational attainment and performance
  • Is crucial for creating new businesses
  • Correlates with career readiness and is an indicator of postsecondary success
  • Enables people to identify and make the most of opportunities
  • Helps people overcome setbacks and succeed in various settings
Postsecondary
"Developing crucial ‘human skills’ from the entrepreneurial mindset gives learners the biggest competitive edge when entering business or the global workforce.”
Kene
—Kene Turner
Former NFTE Teacher
NFTE propels my students to think and act entrepreneurially and allows them to develop real-world skills.
Kevin Raiford
—Kevin Raiford
Business Professor, College of Southern Nevada
Endorsed by Intuit through a joint effort of NFTE and Certiport, a Pearson VUE business.
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Entrepreneur and Small Business

Postsecondary
Partners

Together with our esteemed collaborators, NFTE is bridging the gap between education and the entrepreneurial world, ensuring that young minds are equipped with the skills and opportunities needed to thrive in the 21st-century economy. View our partners list by selecting “postsecondary” on the map.

Postsecondary Team

Jeannine Schloss

Chief Growth Officer

Arnie Abram

Sr. Manager, Postsecondary & Alumni Services

Events

Events - December 31, 2026

What if your teens could launch a business in 90…

Events - July 10, 2026

We’re excited to share that ticket sales are now open…

Events - June 1, 2026

When the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream opened…

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