Looking to help aspiring business owners, the accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP has made a $300,000 matching donation commitment to the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurs (NFTE) over the next three years. The company said the donation will support NFTE's efforts to help young people from low-income communities add important skills to their resume that will support entrepreneurial creativity. Herb Engert of Enrst & Young's Americans leader of strategic growth markets said the money will help fund NFTE's Adopt-a-Class initiative scholarships. "At Ernst & Young we know our future depends on entrepreneurs, as they are the key to innovation, economic growth, and job creation," Engert added. "To that end, we are committed to helping these young people achieve their potential through education around entrepreneurship so that we can one day celebrate their story." Founded in 1987, NFTE began as a program to encourage at-risk students to continue their education. Today, the foundation also provides educational programs that include core business and financial lessons, business plan development and training. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 2.5 million jobs were created by new business establishments in the U.S. in 2010. |