Small Business and Entrepreneur Assistance
DeKalb County is a community that is well aware of the advantages small business owners and entrepreneurs bring to the area. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration website, independent firms having less than 500 employees represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms. They employ approximately half of all private sector employees and have generated 60 to 80 percent of all new jobs annually during the past 10 years. It is with this in mind that DeKalb County has a number of resources available to these individuals and groups.
The DeKalb County organizations that are available to small business owners and entrepreneurs include:
- Elgin Community College Small Business Development Center
- Kishwaukee College Center for Business Development and Continuing Education
- Waubonsee Community College Small Business Development Center
- Illinois Business Information Center
- DeKalb County Chapter of the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)
- Illinois Manufacturing Extension Center (IMEC)
- DeKalb County Small Business Initiative
They provide assistance with business planning, marketing, employee training, process improvements, technology and financing.
Small Business Workshops
The Illinois Small Business Development Center at Waubonsee Community College provides management, marketing, and financial counseling to prospective and existing small business owners. For more information, call the IL SBDC office at (630) 906-4143, or visit the Waubonsee Small Business Development Page for class descriptions, locations, and registration information on the upcoming events.
Illinois workNet Center Calendar and Events
The Illinois workNet Center aids the workforce by connecting job seekers and employers. It provides education, training and employment opportunities which are detailed in the monthly calendar. The Illinois workNet Center at DeKalb is located at 1701 East Lincoln Highway, DeKalb, Illinois 60115 and can be contacted at (815) 756-4893. For more information visit the Illinois workNet website.
Call (815) 901-0177 if you have any questions.
Kishwaukee College
Many classes, seminars, and workshops are offered through the Center for Business Development and Continuing Education.
The Center for Business Development and Continuing Education serves all business, industry and community members with education, training, professional development and personal enrichment classes and workshops.
Business Development is the arm of the Center which is designed to assist local business and industry that compete in a global market, through evaluative services and customized training. Whatever you need to keep your company and employees competitive in today’s global economy, the professional staff in Business Development can provide the workshop, seminar, or training to keep you heading for continuous quality and development. The staff in Business Development can arrange your customized training either at your work site or on the Kishwaukee College campus.
Learn more about Kishwaukee College and their Center for Business Development and Continuing Education.
NIU’s College of Business
NIU College of Business students enjoy an engaging campus experience from a college that is nationally recognized in academic and industry circles for its award winning and dedicated scholar-teachers, personalized student advising, state-of-the-art facilities, active involvement with the business community, and outstanding curricula that narrows the gap between thinking and application. Since the college’s founding in 1961, more than 50,000 alumni have graduated. A large majority of them have become successful business executives in the Chicago area and around the world. Because of this and our close proximity to Chicago, NIU’s College of Business builds extensive partnerships with many firms, alumni, and business leaders. We do this with you, the student, at the forefront of our mind.
To learn more about NIU’s College of Business, Click Here. To visit NIU’s general website, Click Here.
NIU’s College of Engineering & Engineering Technology
The College of Engineering & Engineering Technology (CEET) develops adaptable problem solvers capable and ready to solve the challenges of a dynamic and quickly changing world. Our students not only focus in the classroom, but also spend time working inside our many laboratories, where they learn to apply the complicated principles they learn in the classroom. This prepares each student for internships and research projects that most often translate to job opportunities immediately upon graduation.
We have more than 200 company presidents, CEO’s, and senior executives among our alumni, and our alumni society (ETAS) directly impacts the instruction of our faculty. CEET understands that engineering professionals are constantly evolving, so we keep our finger on the pulse of change. Our classroom instruction is always current, and the majority of our faculty have business and industry experience.
To learn more about NIU’s College of Engineering and Engineering , Click Here. To visit NIU’s general website, Click Here.