Prince’s Operation Entrepreneur will hold a seven-day business bootcamp at Dalhousie University this summer to teach entrepreneurship to people moving on from the Canadian Armed Forces.

POE is a program of The Prince’s Charities Canada, the Canadian arm of the charitable organization established in the U.K. by Prince Charles. The Prince’s Trust for decades has been helping young Britons start their own businesses.

Prince’s Operation Entrepreneur, or POE, provides business education to transitioning CAF members and veterans. Its organizers describe it as a made-in-Canada program that combines two of The Prince of Wales’ lifelong interests -- encouraging entrepreneurship and support for the CAF.  The program helps military members embarking upon their second careers to start their own businesses and create economic and social impacts in their communities.

Dalhousie professors are volunteering to teach in their area of specialization, and undergraduate business students from Enactus Dalhousie are paired with participants to provide one-on-one guidance to help participants build their business plans.

“These military members will be ready to start their second careers after the week,” said Mary Kilfoil, the Dalhousie professor who is also responsible for the training coordination of the program. “At Dalhousie, we are proud to support participants’ transition and offer them the skills and confidence they need to succeed in business.”

One of the military participants, Rebecca Park, designs handmade sheep skin and wool slippers.  At bootcamp, Rebecca wants to learn how to grow her business, “I am extremely passionate about my business, and would like to learn how to better market it, driving more customers to my website and expanding to new stores across Canada,” she said in a statement.

POE is the only program of its kind in Canada. “We have seen many inspiring stories of business success,” said POE President and CEO Amanda Sherrington. “His Royal Highness is deeply committed to supporting the military community, for whom he serves as Colonel-in-Chief to seven regiments.”