WESTBROOK — When students with entrepreneurial aspirations return in late August, Westbrook Regional Vocational Center will have a new opportunity in store.

Westbrook Regional Vocational Center will team up with Uncharted Learning, an Illinois-based non-profit that develops business and entrepreneur education for K-12 students, to become the first school in the state and only one of two in New England to offer INCubatoredu. It is being paid for through grants and federal funding.

“If you look at the makeup of the business program here, it fits perfectly,” said Brenda Dolloff, who has taught business classes in the district since 1985 and will oversee the new program. “I’ve always had some sort of start your own business component (in the curriculum),” Dolloff said. “Entrepreneurship has been a part of it, but nothing to the level of INCubatoredu.”

Through the year-long class, students will have the opportunity to work in small groups to develop their own product or service. They will connect with area entrepreneurs and business owners along the way to see to see their concepts progress to a final product that they present at the end of the year.

At the end of the year, Dolloff said the students will pitch their businesses and seek investment from a panel of local investors.

Leah MacLeod, a community relations specialist at UNUM and Laurie Johnson, program manager for the Maine Center for Entreprenuers will serve as the project’s “community champions” and recruit coaches and mentors from the business world and serve as liaisons between the school and the participating business community.

“For a community to thrive, the proactive engagement between education and business is critical,” MacLeod said. “Our vision for this investment of time and resources is to help students gain access to new opportunities and engage them in innovative and creative approaches to learning. We hope this program makes a lasting impact on the long-term future of our communities. A prepared, educated workforce is the future of all of our companies and our community at-large.”

“I am thrilled to be a part of this initiative to bring entrepreneurial training to WRVC. The curriculum paired with mentorship will give students real world experience that will serve them throughout their careers,” Johnson said.

While UNUM and the Maine Center of Entrepreneurs serve as community champions, MacLeod said she hopes “as the program grows and evolves, we hope more businesses get involved because education is the foundation of strong communities.”

Dolloff said business professionals, who teach parts of the curriculum and served as personal mentors to each student team, are a critical part of the program, she said.

The class will be geared to juniors and seniors, but sophomores will be able to sign up as well. The class will be every other day for 75 to 80 minutes.

“WRVC is excited to team up with INCubatoredu for the 2018-2019 school year. This partnership will give WRVC business students an authentic learning experience and provide a unique start-up environment and exposure to business professionals throughout Cumberland and York counties,” said Westbrook Regional Vocational Center Director Todd Fields.

Michael Kelley can be reached at 781-3661 x 125 or mkelley@keepmecurrent.com or on Twitter @mkelleynews.

The Westbrook Regional Vocational Center’s business program is offering a new entrepreneur class for 2018-19 through INCubatoredu, which requires students to come up with a business product or service, develop it over the year and pitch to investors in the spring.

Westbrook Regional Vocation Center is just the second school in New England to partner with Uncharted Learning to offer the INCubatoredu entrepreneuership program to students.

A new business offering to allow students to full develop a product or service is coming to Westbrook Regional Vocational Center next school year. (File photo)