As the economy struggles and more jobs are being cut, more adults are heading back to school to make their skills more marketable.

Nationally, unemployment has climbed above six percent. Based on the latest statistics, the number of workers who have lost jobs so far this year is almost equal to the population of Alaska. It's in that climate that community colleges are finding their niche.

Navigating the halls at Metro Community College’s Fort Omaha campus, Barb Schlott is headed back to the kitchen where she truly feels at home. Barb wants to open a bed and breakfast and do her own cooking. "It's pretty scary so I wanted to make sure I did it right."

For the past two-and-a-half years, Barb has been learning the ins and outs of the kitchen and business. So far it's working out. "I'm happy, this is really good for me. I like it, I like it a lot so it's good work."

A growing number of students are coming to Metro for the work or to prepare them for joining the workforce. Metropolitan Community College has seen a number of students like Barb come through the doors over the past few years. Student enrollment has increased by 4-6 percent every year for the past five years.

It's students like Barb who are driving those numbers. Some of the fastest growing majors include culinary arts and entrepreneurship.

"If my company is not going to be the one that takes care of me then I better take care of me and so I think this notion of entrepreneurship becomes very important because it's all about personal risk taking, personal responsibility," says Metro’s David Ho.

Something Barb is learning about while she's working toward that bed and breakfast. "If it doesn't work out I can still become a chef or work as a waitress because they have very good fine dining." Whatever she chooses, Barb will have the background to succeed.

Ho, the chief instructional officer at Metro, tells Channel 6 News there are two types of entrepreneur students, younger ones who have an idea and older ones who don't want to rely on others for a living.