Recruiting in China

ASPIRING entrepreneurs now have access to an innovative, government-funded course with practical tuition on starting their own business ventures.

The course, which started at Shanghai University yesterday, will feature a series of lectures teaching students how to discover opportunities, and implement team-building, networking, marketing, investment and financing plans.

It is the result of a joint project between the Shanghai Technology Entrepreneurship Foundation for Graduates - a government-backed organization funding student companies - and local universities.

A group of renowned entrepreneurs from both home and abroad will be invited to share their own business-starting experiences with university students or Master of Business Administration candidates during the courses.

For instance, David Dan, former president of Intel China who has started the company D Square Transformation Consulting, gave the first course session about business-starting opportunities in China to more than 50 Shanghai University MBA students yesterday.

Foundation officials said entrepreneurs' sharing their real-life experiences made the course stand out from similar courses run by other universities.

"We came to be aware that business-starting is a totally different practice in which hands-on experience is a must," said Li Jun, a foundation official.

Li said the Ministry of Education started the country's business-starting education effort at nine domestic universities in 2002. But the training was less than effective because most of the courses were taught by academics.