@Annette33
OK - so let's try out some hypothetical scenarios. Let me break down the numbers using what I know about human nature and some Airbnb hosts. I think the 80/20 rule applies here throughout.
Look at the posts in the community center discussion rooms. They range from basic to silly back to basic again (80%), with a few thoughtful and complicated issues along with computer glitches (20%). So besides the complicated, illegal issues or computer glitches - most can be answered with a site search. And we know that Airbnb's site is convoluted - but there is a lot of information/learning available, it just has to be dug out with a little time and thought. So approx 80% of hosts want someone to get them the answer and 20% are your self-helpers and figure it out themselves.
And 80% want the 20% to answer/help/fix their problem, so they try the Community Center. But they want their answer RIGHT NOW. Hence the most popular question in the CC - how to contact Airbnb. This is because most of the time it boils down to I want a person to immediately answer my telephone call so I can ask the question I could have answered myself about - where's the security deposit - what is Instant Book - where's my money - can I take a booking from a cat profile pic - where's my listing - can my landlord tell me to stop hosting - where's my 1099 - I want to claim new sheets for old stained sheets - why can't my guests check in on time - how do I cancel/refund/change a booking - why did I let them bring their dog - why are my reviews so bad, is it because I don't bother to describe my space well and the pics are crap?.
You know what I mean.
But all these issues are immediate for hosts - and they want answers right away - and they don't want to: 1. pay for answers 2. wait for answers 3. drive to the local college for a class to get answers.
Sure there will be some people out there (20%) that are thoughtful, responsible and sensible enough to want to do preliminary research and get as much advice from experienced practitioners as possible before setting up their new short term rental business and then create a brilliant listing with professional pics because they know just how important the marketing side is. And that person may just want to sign up for an Airbnb sponsored class - but it will either be the wrong time or in the wrong place to be of any use to that person. The other 80% want a bit of extra (perhaps some even think easy) money by renting out a space in their property to some nice people that will turn up and pay them and then go away again (without making a mess). So they bash out a listing and start asking how-to questions after things start going wrong. So a class won't really help those hosts either.
So we are whittling down the actual numbers of hosts/potential hosts that a sponsored class would appeal to. But perhaps (as @Nancy67 suggested) a sponsor/mentor 1 on 1 situation would work. Similar to the AA Sponsor or Life Coach - the mentoring helps with listing advice and suggestions for improvement and dealing with difficult situations. And this could/should be paid for... But here is where the human nature comes back in - most people don't think they need any help, they want to do it their way, or they just don't figure that anything extra is needed - until it goes south and then they are wanting that instant phone call for help.
Look at how many people (80%) post in the community center - asking for help - and then don't even bother to check back in to see the answer, let alone acknowledge the help or share the results (80/20 again). This is a smaller picture of how it is out in the world.
BUt how wonderful it would be if Airbnb sponsored the production of host tutorials available 24/7 online? I have an Ancestry membership and their tutorials on how to use their site, make changes and create family trees etc. are brilliant. Easy, foolproof and quick to access, just point and click. And free with membership.
So how about we get a team together and pitch an outline brief to Airbnb to produce some 2 min videos - answers to the top 20 questions on the Community Center? Perhaps that might have more mileage and future possibility than a local class..... and I still think the area Meet Ups can (and do in lots of areas) deal with learning and problem solving, as well as a social get together.
If you got this far reading you have too much time on your hands! I apologise to all who did get this far for taking up so much space in this thread. It's raining outside.
Best Wishes.