WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration recently launched its latest free online course, Business Opportunities: A Guide to Winning Federal Contracts. The instructional, self-paced guide is easy to follow and available on SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov/training. From the SBA’s training site, click on the menu of free online courses, and then select the first course listed under Government Contracting.

The Business Opportunities online course is designed for all small businesses. The course is comprehensive and uses script and audio to provide information about the $400 billion federal market, contract rules, and where to find contract opportunities and how to sell to the government.

The course module includes more than 40 links highlighting the best contracting resources, and directly engages entrepreneurs in the contracting process. For example, the course encourages and leads participants to the Central Contractor Registration – generally considered the first step in engaging in the federal market place. The course also includes several other practical “next steps,” all designed to engage business owners in the federal contracting space.

Once completing the 30-minute tutorial, business owners can earn a certificate of completion from the SBA.