Training Available for Entrepreneurs

Registration is underway for the seventh annual Entrepreneurial Training Program at Mission College.

The free program, which is available to Los Angeles residents with low or moderate incomes, is funded by a grant from the city’s Community Development Department.

“Over 800 men and women have completed the Entrepreneurial Training Program since it began six years ago,” said program research coordinator Ralph Kacy. “Several graduates have started their own businesses in accounting, electronics and videotaping. We have also had others open a restaurant, a flower shop, a child-care facility and a limousine service.”

Eligibility for the program is based on income guidelines established by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, Kacy said.

There are 25 openings and registration is being accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, he said.

The program aims to give would-be entrepreneurs specific instruction about licensing, marketing and tax laws, and to help them develop detailed business plans, Kacy said. Participants will also be able to take advantage of counseling from the Small Business Administration.

“This course is for people who have an idea about what they want to do, but just don’t have the business knowledge,” Kacy said.

Instruction will take place Tuesdays from 6 to 9 p.m. starting Jan. 13. An accompanying computer laboratory will take place Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m. in Mission’s Business and Professional One Stop Center.

For more information or to register, call the center at (818) 837-2236.