WORKPLACE

More Entrepreneurship Training: Another holiday present for workers: The so-called BOSS program, which helps laid off workers become entrepreneurs, will begin double sessions next month to handle the heavy demand.

“Applications have increased substantially in the last two months due to the pending layoffs at the Hughes facility and greater awareness of the program,” said Susan Fox, director of BOSS, which stands for Business Ownership Service System.

The program, which is provided by Rancho Santiago College mostly with federal Labor Department funds, runs for 10 weeks. During that time, participants attend classes five days a week, four hours a day, learning finance, bookkeeping, marketing, insurance, legal matters, manufacturing and production. By the end of the session, every student drafts a complete business plan.

The BOSS program is free, and beginning in January there will be morning and afternoon classes, with a third evening session to be added later.

For more information, call (714) 564-5207.