A MiraCosta College employee and program were recognized at the annual San Diego North Economic Development Council event in Oceanside. The event celebrates the economic development achievements throughout North San Diego County.
Sudarshan Shaunak, a MiraCosta College employee who assists entrepreneurs grow existing businesses or start new businesses, and the Cooperative Education Reskilling and Training Pilot Program, which received $3.5 million in funding for an education reskilling and training program focusing on disadvantaged and unemployed adults were both recognized at the event.
“The San Diego North Economic Development Council is pleased to honor MiraCosta College for its contributions to the area’s economic vitality,” said W. Erik Bruvold, chief executive officer of the council.
Dr. Sunita “Sunny” Cooke, superintendent/president of MiraCosta College, explains that the awards recognize MiraCosta College’s many contributions to the region. “MiraCosta College provides training and education so our students can get jobs, get the skills they need for a better job, and show them how they can be innovative business leaders in our community,” Cooke said.
Sudershan Shaunak, is the director of North San Diego Small Business Development Center (SBDC), a program hosted by MiraCosta College, and supported by federal and state funding. Additionally, Shaunak is a valued member on MiraCosta College Foundation Board.
Since 1999, the SBDC has helped MiraCosta students and local entrepreneurs start more than 650 new businesses, create, or retain over 3,700 jobs, obtain $168 million in financing, and win more than $616 million in government contracts. Shaunak’s team conducts over 120 workshops and provides free one-on-one mentoring services to over 1,000 business owners every year.
Shaunak was an entrepreneur before he joined the SBDC and uses the lessons he learned to mentor the next generation of entrepreneurs. His expertise includes strategic planning, financial management, financing, business expansion/growth, and start-ups.
In 2014, he received the Anthony Vigil Small Business Advocacy Award, given by U.S. Small Business Administration to individuals who demonstrate exemplary advocacy, leadership, and extraordinary assistance for the small business community.
“I’m humbled and honored to receive this award,” Shaunak said. “We’re proud to support entrepreneurs who are creating a vibrant business community in North San Diego County.”
The second award to MiraCosta College’s Technology Career Institute recognizes the Cooperative Education Reskilling and Training Pilot Program, which received $3.5 million in funding for an education reskilling and training program focusing on disadvantaged and unemployed adults.
The program offers not-for-credit training that can be completed in three to six months in fields including engineer technician, machinist technology, unmanned systems, welding, biomedical equipment technician, craft brewing technician. Paid internships allow participants to get on-the-job experience as they learn a new skill.
California Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath said paid internships through short-term training are vital to the state’s economic recovery.
“This program will help folks in our region gain the qualifications they need to compete for well-paying jobs, make career pivots, and more,” Boerner Horvath said. “With our economy in a period of transition, many Californians are in need of a whole different set of skills to break into lucrative industries and get ahead, and this training will help them get there.”
