The job market is getting harder to break into. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported employers added just 29,000 jobs last month, below economists’ expectations of 90,000, and more than a quarter (27.1%) of unemployed Americans have been out of work for six months or longer. Now, LinkedIn—the platform built to help users network and find jobs—is launching a school to help workers become their own bosses.
LinkedIn started the Academy of Economic Opportunity in September, enrolling 30 LinkedIn employees in a free 14-week training program, according to a spokesperson. Students meet three times a week to learn things like handling PR crises, making hiring decisions, and pitching investors through simulations. Hari Srinivasan, the company’s chief product officer, told Fortune that one of the pilot cohort’s next sessions is on building an app from scratch.
