Veterans Business Boot Camp is coming to Winnipeg March 2 to 6. The Canadian Legacy Project’s Veteran Business Boot Camp program is designed for Canadian Armed Forces Veterans to learn essential entrepreneurial skills for starting or expanding a business.

This five-day program guides you in identifying a business idea, determining its feasibility, developing a business plan and defining an implementation process. Upon completion, you will receive an Entrepreneurship Certificate of Completion from Mount Royal University.

The Veteran Business Boot Camp is available for free for veterans of the Canadian Military through funding provided by the Canadian Legacy Project.

“Many of our Canadian veterans are having a challenging time transitioning to civilian life and finding a job. While there are several programs designed to help in finding work, there are few national programs designed to help veterans start their own business,” said David Howard, president and founder of the Canadian Legacy Project.

Veterans Canada reports that there are 649,300 Canadian military veterans living in Canada. According to a report by the Veteran Transition Advisory Council, “employers do not take advantage of highly skilled and motivated veteran employees,” citing U.S. data that points to the transferability of veterans’ skills as a top reason. The Veteran Business Boot Camp aims to reduce the barriers for veterans in finding work by teaching them how to apply their skills and motivation to entrepreneurship.

After successfully launching the program in Calgary — and filling to capacity — CLP and Mount Royal are expanding the Veteran Business Boot Camp program to locations across Canada.

Calgarian Caprice Brunelle, who spent 27 years in the Canadian military, completed the inaugural Veteran Boot Camp program in Calgary. Although she has a Masters in Business, Brunelle appreciated the practical aspect of the program.

“My business idea is very complex. I could go for hours on the research on just one aspect of it. The program allowed me to grasp my business idea and put it on one piece of paper. That was very helpful to me,” Brunelle said of her idea that tackles the “management of systemic problems,” that touches on everything from health care to housing to seniors’ issues. “It motivated me to really think about marketing and reaching out to the end-user.”

Being in a room full of people with military experience — regular forces, reservists, active and retired, alike — brought extra value to the experience, she said.

“Mount Royal is proud to provide relevant programming that helps veterans achieve their business goals through practical, student-focused learning and builds a strong foundation for their entrepreneurial endeavours,” said Dimitra Fotopoulos, director, Faculty of Continuing Education at Mount Royal.

To register: https://www.mtroyal.ca/ProgramsCourses/ContinuingEducation/businesstraining/veteran-business-boot-camp/index.htm

Space is limited to 25 students.