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Apply for Online Entrepreneurship Courses!

CNIB Venture Zone: Entrepreneurship Courses from The Chang School 

CNIB is pleased to offer you an opportunity to take two distance education courses in entrepreneurship and small business as part of a partnership with The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education at Ryerson University.  

These courses count towards a certificate in Entrepreneurship and Small Business from Ryerson. Take one or more courses for only $249 each. If you successfully complete the course(s), CNIB will refund your deposit. 

10 participants from across Canada will get the opportunity to take one or both courses for the fall 2019 semester.

Please note that the deadline to apply is August 25th, 2019.

Course descriptions 

CENT 500 — New Venture Startup 

This introductory course is designed primarily for non-business students who are interested in starting a business of their own. Topics included assessing entrepreneurial potential, opportunity identification, market assessment, organizing, promoting, and financing the business, intellectual property, buying an existing business or considering a franchise. Students will be expected to work on developing a business plan. 

CENT 526 — Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Strategy 

This foundation course is designed to stimulate the student's interest in entrepreneurship, thereby cultivating the entrepreneurial spirit. By means of case studies, articles, videos and presentations, students will have the opportunity to learn about many prominent entrepreneurs who have demonstrated commitment, passion, risk-taking, strategic thinking and implementation, and the ability to develop core competencies as they create and grow their successful enterprises. Various topics in entrepreneurship will be introduced as a result. 

Quick facts 

  • Courses are taken online through Ryerson University. 

  • Courses are available in English only. 

  • Each course consists of 39 hours of instruction over a 13-week period (approximately 3 hours per week) plus time for homework. 

  • Courses start in September 2019 and finish in December 2019. 

  • An academic coordinator is available through Ryerson University to help with logistics and setting you up for success. 

  • Academic accommodation support is also available to you. 

  • Cost is $249 for each course. Your tuition is returned to you once you successfully complete the course(s). 

  • Ryerson University uses the BrightSpace learning management system for administering the online courses. BrightSpace is fully accessible with JAWS and ZoomText.  

  • Completing these courses count towards a certificate in Entrepreneurship and Small Business from Ryerson University. 

You'll need… 

  • A high school diploma like an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent from your province/territory. 

  • A resume and cover letter expressing your interest in taking the course(s). 

  • A declaration of whether you wish to pursue the certificate in Entrepreneurship and Small Business or if you solely want to take one course at a time for now. 

  • To complete an interview process with CNIB

Assistive technology check 

Before signing up, make sure you know how to do the following with your assistive technology tools: 

  • Using the web: forms, downloading, uploading, web video, and databases for research 

  • Email: composing, managing threads, contact lists, replying, forwarding 

  • Calendar apps: setting deadlines for assignments, making appointments, etc. 

  • MS Word: creating, saving, formatting, using a table of contents and bibliography 

  • MS Excel: creating, saving, formatting, using formulas, creating charts 

  • MS PowerPoint: Creating, saving and formatting 

  • PDF: Opening, reading and setting bookmarks. 

  • Chat apps: Skype, Google Hangouts, Facebook Messenger, etc. 

Next steps 

If you are interested in taking part in this amazing opportunity, please send an email to jacklyn.gilmor@cnib.ca with the following: 

  • Your name  

  • Your preferred email address 

  • Your phone number(s) 

  • Your resume 

  • A cover letter declaring your interest in taking the course(s) 

We will be in touch with registration and payment instructions once we receive your email.  

Please note: We will not consider your application if any elements (such as the resume and cover letter) are missing. 

For more information on the courses or certificate program, please visit The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education at Ryerson University website. 

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