Rural Entrepreneurship Through Action Learning (REAL)

The North Carolina REAL program serves as a clearinghouse for the states and organizations with active REAL programs. The REAL entrepreneurship development program is a hands-on program that focuses much of its attention on building entrepreneurial capacity in high school and post-secondary school students. The program is somewhat formal in its structure in that it requires that those engaged in delivery of the program participate in a five-day REAL Entrepreneurship Institute.Further, only those who have been through this training are allowed to purchase and use their curriculum.

REAL programs are implemented by REAL Institute-trained instructors who typically use the curriculum materials to custom design programs according to audience need and instructor interests and abilities. Instructors are encouraged to use non-REAL materials, such as case studies, to supplement the REAL curriculum where necessary or desirable.