WV Entrepreneurship & Innovation Pathway

Entrepreneurship + Innovation Pathway

West Virginia is shaping the future of youth entrepreneurship,
one high school founder at a time.

Designed in partnership with Marshall University and West Virginia University, the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Pathway has four core courses designed to take students from idea to launch – all while in high school.

The Core Courses

ESHIP 1

Explore the entrepreneurial mindset, design thinking, and how entrepreneurship and innovation drives change locally and globally.

ESHIP 2

Dive into entrepreneurship through the Lean Canvas, real-world project management, and teamwork to bring impactful ideas to life.

ESHIP 3

Develop your own business idea using the Business Model Canvas and turn your vision into a real-world venture, from finding your customers to building a prototype.

ESHIP 4

ESHIP 4 Prepares to officially launch your business by securing licensure, pitching your business, landing initial customers, and building ecosystem connections.

Mindset & Design Thinking

Lean Canvas

Business Model Canvas

License & Launch

Teach the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Pathway

Access to West Virginia’s Entrepreneurship & Innovation Pathway curriculum and resources varies based on your teaching credentials. ESHIP 1, as an introductory course, is available to all educators that hold either a Business Education Certification or the ESHIP Advanced Credential. ESHIP 2-4 is available only to those educators that hold the ESHIP Advanced Credential. Relevant links and resources to teach the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Pathway can be found in the following menu.

I'd like to teach the pathway, but need to earn my ESHIP Advanced Credential first.

Certified teachers with a license to teach Grades 9-12 can pursue the ESHIP Advanced Credential through the following approved training pathways:

In-Person Training + Intuit D4D Certification: WVDE offers periodic, in-person training to earn the advanced credential. This training must be completed in combination with Intuit’s Design for Delight Innovation Catalyst Foundations Course.
ELEVATE CTE: The EdVenture Group’s ELEVATE CTE Community of Practice is an approved training program for the ESHIP Advanced Credential. Educators accepted into the program must meet all program requirements and earn a Certificate of Completion from The EdVenture Group.
7230 Entrepreneurship & Innovation eLearning Course: This self-paced course is offered through Teacher Professional Learning at the West Virginia Department of Education. Click here to access the course.
1. Need help navigating to the portal? Check out this tutorial.

Once all requirements of a pathway are completed, educators may submit their Certificates of Completion and all required materials (Form V35, Certificates of Completion + Application Fee) to the WVDE Office of Certification.

I'd like to teach ESHIP 1, but not the full pathway.

The ESHIP 1 Curriculum is available to all West Virginia educators that hold either 1) a Business Education Certificaiton or 2) the ESHIP Advanced Credential. The ESHIP 1 curriculum, including all unit and lesson frameworks, handouts, and additional resources, can be accessed via the link below with a state-provided K12 email address (@k12.wv.us).

Click to access the ESHIP 1 Curriculum.

I'd like to teach the full pathway.

Curriculum for all four courses of the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Pathway is exclusive to West Virginia educators that have earned the ESHIP Advanced Credential. Educators that have earned the credential can access the curriculum via the state’s WV CTE Entrepreneurship and Innovation Microsoft Teams with their WV K12 account (@k12.wv.us).

This Teams channel provides ESHIP instructors with a community of like-minded educators and access to relevant and timely resources shared through the Teams’ feed. Throughout the year, professional development opportunities, student competitions and events, funding, and more are shared in this forum.

Join the WV CTE Entrepreneurship & Innovation Microsoft Team.

I'd like to teach discovery entrepreneurship.

Designed for middle and early high school, we’ve also partnered with WDVE to design exploratory curriculum for those just dipping their feet into the world of entrepreneurship education. West Virginia educators with a K12 email address (@k12.wv.us) can access the Discovery Entrepreneurship (Principles of Entrepreneurship) curriculum below.

Click to access the Discovery Entrepreneurship curriculum.

Designing the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Pathway

West Virginia’s Entrepreneurship & Innovation Pathway was designed by a network of in-state partner institutions through catalytic funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission. With a strong emphasis on place-based learning and local contextualization, the curriculum is designed specifically to highlight West Virginia’s strengths and cultivate community engagement, nurturing the
next generation of West Virginia’s entrepreneurial talent.

facilitation guide:

entrepreneurship + innovation pathway facilitation guidance for instructors

This teacher facilitation guide outlines the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Pathway (ESHIP Pathway), a curriculum designed to prepare high school students for entrepreneurial success.