Cuesta_College_logoBusiness & Entrepreneurship Center at Cuesta College
P. O. Box 8106
San Luis Obispo CA  93403-8106
(805) 546-3188
www.cuesta.edu

 
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Mission & Vision Statement 

The Mission of the Business & Entrepreneurship Center at Cuesta College is to assist businesses and industry sectors in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, North Los Angeles Counties and surrounding areas to retain, or expand their businesses, thus strengthening the local economy, increasing wealth and quality of life.
 
The Vision of the Business & Entrepreneurship Center at Cuesta College is to be the premier provider of business and economic development services and training in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and North Los Angeles Counties.
 
 
 

 

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Contact Us

For further information or to find out how the Business & Entrepreneurship Center at Cuesta College can assist you please contact:

Israel Dominguez, Director
805 546-3100 x2255
Email:
Israel_dominguez@cuesta.edu       
 
Sue Owen, Program Services Specialist
805 546-3188
Email:
sowen@cuesta.edu  
 

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Solutions for Economic Development & Training!

The staff at the Business & Entrepreneurship Center at Cuesta College is committed to excellence and providing the very best service in assisting all industry sectors and community stakeholders with economic development and training. The Business & Entrepreneurship Center at Cuesta College is able to integrate the program's services with existing college curricula and services to take advantage of the opportunities for synergy within the college. We collaborate, share resources, and partner with Chambers of Commerce, economic development organizations, One-Stop Career Centers, re-development agencies, small business development organizations, faculty, and organizations that represent and serve special emphasis groups. We take a leadership role in generating business expansion, creation, and retention by combining these resources. As training needs are identified, the Business & Entrepreneurship Center at Cuesta College can deliver the training anywhere in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and North Los Angeles Counties.

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The Primary Objectives Include: 
 · Conduct community research; create targeted special projects and services that address the unique needs of the region. To accomplish this, the Business & Entrepreneurship Center at Cuesta College will collect and analyze community data and evaluate the economic needs of the region.
· Target existing business clients and/or industry sectors most likely to create economic impacts and retain jobs. These clients and/or industry sectors should also have the potential to achieve significant increases in sales investment, and to boost regional economic wealth. 
· Provide training solutions aimed at improving the management and stability of regional businesses to lead to increased number of new and retained jobs, sales, and investment.
· Develop a managed system of training that moves clients toward achieving significant economic impact in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and North Los Angeles Counties. 
 · Disseminate up-to-date and relevant information to business clients needing to explore more detailed or specialized knowledge. This may include referral to other Cuesta College programs or departments and/or other organizations. 
 · Deliver the Young Entrepreneurs Program. The purpose of the Young Entrepreneurs Program is to replace misconceptions of vocational education and blue-collar jobs with increased awareness of and aspirations to self-employment as a legitimate lifetime career path providing reliable living wages. The project's target audience is youth and young adults, ideally, those enrolled in feeder high schools and/or the affiliated community college, with special emphasis on rural and minority populations. Supportive activities for the project must increase participant's business management skills, revitalize interest in career technical education and develop bridges to enable ease of movement between high schools and community colleges.

Overall Economic Goals
To advance California's economic growth and global competitiveness through high quality education and services focusing on business development, consistent with the current needs of the state's regional economies.
 
To maximize and leverage the resources of Cuesta College to fulfill its role as the primary provider in fulfilling the academic, vocational education and training needs of the San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and North Los Angeles County businesses and industry sectors.
 
To collaborate with other state and local agencies to deliver services that meet statewide and regional business development, technology transfer, and trade needs that attract, retain, and expand businesses. 
To develop, in consultation and collaboration with Cuesta College, local economic development agencies, the private sector, and community groups, innovative solutions, as needed, in identified strategic priority areas, including, but not necessarily limited to, advanced transportation, biotechnology, small business, applied competitive technologies, including computer integrated manufacturing, production and continuous quality improvement, business and workforce improvement, environmental technologies, health care delivery, agriculture, multimedia/entertainment and international trade. Strategic priority areas that may be explored if new or additional funding becomes available may include information technology, e-commerce and e-trade, and nanotechnology.
 
To identify, acquire, and leverage community college and other training resources when possible, to support local, regional, and statewide economic development.
 
To optimize access to Cuesta College's economic development services. 
To develop strategic public and private sector partnerships. 

South Central Region - Regional Economic Overview

Colleges in the Region  (Counties include San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and North Los Angeles)

·Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo ·Allan Hancock College, Santa Maria
·Santa Barbara City College, Santa Barbara ·Ventura College, Ventura
·Oxnard College, Oxnard ·Moorpark College, Moorpark
·College of the Canyons, Santa Clarita ·Antelope Valley College, Lancaster
   

Industry Overview

Industry Size and Growth (2009 - 2014; 10% growth or higher)
· Financial activities, 99k jobs with 16% job growth projected - average earnings per worker $41,500
· Construction, 60k jobs with 14% job growth projected - average earnings per worker $63,300
· Education and health services, 120k jobs with 13% job growth projected - average earnings per worker $48,800
· Professional and business services, 158k jobs with 13% job growth projected - average earnings per worker $50,500
Industry Makeup
· The 2009 Industrial Makeup comparing the percent of regional jobs to state jobs in the various industry supersectors only varies between 1-2% across all industry sectors
Occupational Overview    
Occupation Size and Growth (2009 - 2014; 9% growth or higher)
· Construction an extraction occupations, 52k jobs with 13% projected job growth - median earning $23.81/hour
· Sales and related occupations, 145k jobs with 11% projected job growth - median earnings $13.20/hour
· Professional and related occupations, 250k with 10% projected job growth - median earnings $28.59/hour
· Management, business and financial occupations, 136k jobs with 10% projected job growth - median earnings $27.27/hour
Occupational Makeup
· The 2009 Occupational Makeup comparing the percent of regional jobs to state jobs in the various industry supersectors only varies between 1-2% across all industry sectors
Demographic Overview
2009 Race/Ethnicity

Population

% of Region

2009 Race/Ethnicity

Population

% of Region

American Indian or Alaska Native

10,704

0.51%

Asian

120,383

5.69%

Black or African American

78,582

3.71%

Native Hawaiian & other Pacific Islander

6,438

0.30%

Non-White Hispanic

32,930

1.56%

Two or more races

53,262

2.52%

White, Non-Hispanic

1,087,560

51.40%

White Hispanic

725,919

34.31%

· Highest percentages of change 2014 are +7% in two or more races and 6% in Asian and White Hispanic with a slight decrease in Black or African American and White, Non-Hispanic at -3% and -2% respectively
2009 Age Size and Growth Population % Change by 2014 2009 Age Size and Growth Population % Change by 2014
15 - 24 319,175 -6% 25 - 44

637,234

0%

45 - 64 448,735 1% 65+

217,998

16%

Under 15 492,637 2%
Employment Overview
2009 Percent of Unemployment to Total Number of Jobs in the Region (data not available for north Los Angeles County)
Construction 17.5% Information

17.5%

Ag, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting 15.1% Manufacturing

13.3%

Administrative and Waste Services 12.6% Retail Trade

12.3%

· Unemployment: Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo Counties 10-11%, Santa Clarita 7.6% and Antelope Valley 14.2%

   

The Business and Entrepreneurship Center at Cuesta College is funded by Economic and Workforce Development through the California Community Colleges. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the California Community College Chancellor’s Office. Reasonable accommodations will be made for handicapped individuals upon their request.