Massasoit Community College is launching its Women’s Leadership Initiative, a new program that will support women on campus and in the community who seek guidance and support on the path to becoming leaders and entrepreneurs. The program launch is part of the college’s recognition of Women’s History Month.

The Women’s Leadership Initiative at Massasoit will help foster female entrepreneurship in Greater Boston, the South Shore and the Neponset Valley and better ensure that the next generation of business leaders are as diverse as their employees. The Initiative will offer a wide range of programming, including a speaker series, educational and professional workshops, a leadership seminar and an entrepreneur-in-residence (EIR) program.

“Massasoit offers community members the opportunity to advance their careers, and our Women’s Leadership Initiative will do just that for women who want to become leaders in business,” Massasoit President Ray DiPasquale said. “While it’s our hope that a well-rounded, robust, accessible program could spark ‘the next big thing,’ at the very least it will help inspire fresh ideas and grow new ventures.”

The initiative, based at the college’s Canton campus to provide easy access to the I-95/I-93 beltway, was developed with support of Eshita Chakrabarti, secretary of the college’s board of trustees and a business leader and advocate as founder and CEO of EWGChannel. Chakrabarti produces multi-media content representing diverse communities and supporting global women causes and is an ardent advocate for women as member of advisory council of DOVE, an organization committed to ending domestic violence in Massachusetts.

“Massasoit has a responsibility to be a role model for helping foster entrepreneurship in our community, especially for those who for too long have been left behind or marginalized,” said Chakrabarti. “I hope this initiative will be a building block to bringing financial independence to women in our community without formal education and provide opportunities for survivors of domestic violence.”

Though women-owned firms only made up 21.4% all U.S. employers according to the U.S. Census Bureau, that number is on the rise, and growth is outpacing overall figures in a number of sectors, including arts, entertainment, and recreation, real estate, and construction. Future programs within the initiative, including a proposed business incubator space in Canton and new non-credit community education courses with an entrepreneurial focus, will help close this gender gap in the region.

“Throughout my career, guidance and support from experienced leaders has helped me grow my own businesses in a sector dominated by men,” said Ann M. Sullivan, chair of Massasoit Community College Board of Trustees, president and CEO of Metro Equipment Corporation, and another leader helping spearhead the initiative. “I’m looking forward to being a part of the initiative and using it as another venue where I can pay it forward to the next generation of leaders.”

This article was originally published here.