Endorsements and Alignments
Intuit: Official Sponsor of ESB Certification
Intuit’s mission is to Power Prosperity Around the World. The company’s global products and platforms are designed to empower consumers, self-employed and small businesses to improve their financial lives, finding them more money with the least amount of work, while giving them complete confidence in their actions and decisions. Intuit’s innovative ecosystem of financial management solutions serves approximately 50 million customers worldwide, unleashing the power of many for the prosperity of one.
Intuit is the official sponsor of ESB certification. To learn more visit:
The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE)
Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) is an international nonprofit that activates the entrepreneurial mindset in young people and builds their knowledge about business startup. Students acquire the entrepreneurial mindset (e.g., innovation, self-reliance, comfort with risk), alongside business, STEM, and presentation skills-equipping them to drive their best futures in the 21st Century. NFTE focuses its work on under-resourced communities, with programs in 23 locations in 10 countries.
To learn more, visit .
The American Council on Education (ACE)
The American Council on Education (ACE) is the USA's unifying voice for higher education. ACE serves as a consensus leader on key higher education issues and seeks to influence public policy through advocacy, research, and program initiatives. ESB has earned an ACE credit recommendation for three semester credit hours in business administration or business information technology. From this, students can seek credit from more than 1,800 accredited, degree-granting colleges, universities, and other education-related organizations that are members of ACE.
To learn more, visit .
The Global Innovation Management Institute (GIMI)
Global Innovation Management Institute (GIMI) is a global non-profit professional organization driving standards for innovation management that leverage a range of core frameworks and competencies. It teaches the next generation of innovators how to jumpstart innovation, successfully generate breakthrough results, and build a new set of professional skills. Its mission is to help individuals, companies, and regions develop world class innovation and innovative management capabilities. GIMI has established 50 partnerships around the world, certified more than 17,000 individual certificates, and 1,200 companies. GIMI alumni represent more than 60 countries and 140 universities.
To learn more, visit
EntreComp
EntreComp is a tool to support a common understanding of entrepreneurship competence and to enable individuals to develop the entrepreneurial competence to support career success and employability.
EntreComp is a common reference framework that identifies 15 competencies in three key areas that describe what it means to be entrepreneurial.
Entrepreneurship competence is a key transversal competence. To be entrepreneurial means more than business start-ups and commerce – it also means to have a strong sense of initiative and act upon ideas and opportunities to create value for others. EntreComp establishes the importance of entrepreneurship and initiative and sets out how people can develop the competence to make a contribution to economic, social and cultural challenges.
To learn more, visit .
Public Consulting Group (PCG)
Public Consulting Group, PCG, was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. PCG helps primarily public sector health, education, and human services organizations make measurable improvements to their performance and processes. PCG is passionate about getting results for their clients, and they know that in the public sector, good results mean healthy, empowered, and successful individuals, families, and communities.
To learn more, visit .
U.S. DOE lists that include ESB:
- – ESB is a Career Readiness Indicator (CRI) credential.
- – ESB is included in Alaska's Complete TSAs List (Technical Skills Assessments).
- – Arkansas Department of Career Education Industry-Recognized Certification list. The ESB rank is Level Two in Business and Marketing Education.
- – Career and Development Incentive Program List includes ESB.
- – The Entrepreneurship and Small Business certification is on the CAPE industry-recognized certification list to support entrepreneurship education. Master Certification in Entrepreneurship is also included.
- – Advanced Opportunities Approved Exams List includes ESB.
- – Chicago Public School District: ESB is a CTE Early Career Credential.
- Louisiana – ESB is the exam required to receive the statewide Micro-Enterprise Credential. To learn more, visit and click on Micro-Enterprise Credential Fact Sheet.
- – ESB is an approved credential for 5S1 Core Performance Indicator.
- – ESB is an approved credential for the Program Approval Database List.
- – ESB is an approved stackable credential on the IRC/TSA list.
- – Recognized as an Industry Credential in the Arts, A/V Technology & Communication Career Pathway.
- – Recognized on Nevada's Eligible Industry Credentialing List.
- – ESB is on the Demonstration of Competency list as an industry-recognized certificate.
- - ESB is recognized in New York on the CTE Industry Related Credentials.
- – ESB is the approved credential for the ME12 Entrepreneurship II course.
- – ESB is valued at three points on the Industry Recognized Credential List in these career fields: Business, Marketing & Finance; Hospitality & Tourism.
- – Approved Assessment list in Business Management & Administration, and the Marketing, Sales & Services cluster.​
- - ESB has been included in the South Carolina Career Ready Certifications list for many years and will continue to support entrepreneurship education in the state.
- – State-Approved Industry Recognized Credentials list in both Business Management & Administration and Finance Clusters.
- – ESB is on the 2019-2020 Industry-Based Certification List for Public School Accountability List.
- Utah – ESB is an approved Industry Test in the state’s CTE Skill Certificate Program. To learn more, visit .
- – ESB is recognized as an improved industry certification on the Virginia DOE Career and Technical Education Path to Industry Certification list.
- – ESB is included on the State-approved Industry recognized Credentials list.
- – Governors Workforce Credential List has ESB as a Universal Certification through all programs worth 3 points.
- – Wyoming recongizes ESB on their Industry-Recognized Credentials and Certifications list for approved Perkins V funding.
The ESB certification has been designed based on feedback and insights gathered from an official ESB Advisory Board, which includes the following organizations and individuals:
- Dave Free, Manager Global Alliances, Cisco Networking Academy
- Dave Zasada, Vice President of Education and Corporate Responsibility, Intuit
- Toi Hershman, Cheif Executive Officer, National Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education, Entre-Ed
- Kevin O'Farrell, Chancellor of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, Florida Department of Education
- James Wilcox, Director at Center for Economic and Entrepreneurship Education, University of Southern Mississippi
- Jeannine Schloss, Chief Growth Officer, Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE)
- J.D. LaRock, CEO, Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE)
- Lucia Acurio, Presidente Ejectiva, Grupo Edutec