CALGARY—Christmas has come early for Bow Valley College (BVC) thanks to RBC's generous donation of $250,000, which will go towards the establishment of the RBC Business Accelerator Centre in Bow Valley College's School of Business.

For many entrepreneurs, creating and sustaining a unique, profitable business is daunting. However, the RBC Business Accelerator Centre aims to overcome those barriers by providing entrepreneurs with the essential foundational skills needed for business development, financial management, and other key aspects of developing and operating a business.

"We saw an opportunity to address a need by focusing the RBC Business Accelerator Centre on community-based entrepreneurship," says Bow Valley College President and CEO Sharon Carry. "This form of entrepreneurship is already a unique strength of the College. With this generous support from RBC, we are ready to develop new entrepreneurs."

The RBC Business Accelerator Centre will promote sustainability in an enriching and collaborative environment through the provision of resources, instruction, coaching, and mentorship. 

"At RBC, we believe an investment in education is one of the most important ways we can give back," says Bruce MacKenzie, Regional President, RBC Royal Bank. "Through this donation, we are investing in the next generation of business leaders, and the growth and sustainability of the communities in which we live and work."

The Centre will also provide feedback and assessment of proposals, training and skills development, and post-program follow-up with successful applicants. Students will spend 10 weeks in the classroom, 14 weeks developing their projects, and then 6 months implementing their plans. BVC's goal is for participants to achieve an 80 per cent success rate in starting their own business, within six months of completing the program. 

Upon completion of the program, and implementation of the business, the graduates will be encouraged to continue to participate in events hosted by the Bow Valley College School of Business and to continue to use the resources offered through the Centre. 

Bow Valley College School of Business Dean David Allwright is excited about the opportunity that the RBC Business Accelerator Centre will bring: "This generous gift from RBC will support the College's vision of developing and supporting community-based entrepreneurship. We look forward to our first intake of students at the RBC Business Accelerator Centre, and helping many future graduates of the program realize their dream of creating and running their own business." 

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Bow Valley College - Calgary and region's only Comprehensive Community College - with more than 14,000 full- and part-time students, is a leader in business and health career training, adult upgrading, and English Language Learning. BVC's Test of Workplace Essential Skills (TOWES), workplace training for immigrant professionals and employment services provide a wide range of services for businesses and professionals.