A new federal program to help laid-off workers start their own small businesses has gotten off to a fast start at Randolph Community College. The program is offered as part of a U.S. Department of Labor national demonstration program called Project GATE, or Growing America Through Entrepreneurship. GATE targets dislocated workers from rural counties for a variety of assistance directly related to starting and running a business. North Carolina is one of four states offering assistance through GATE from 2009 through 2011, and RCC is one of eight community colleges hosting GATE sites.
Jim Judge, the new GATE counselor at RCC who started work in late March, said his office has been inundated with inquiries about the program, which offers free business training, free counseling, and access to business loans. Judge said an important component of the program is that unemployed workers can still receive their unemployment benefits while getting their businesses off the ground.
Judge has over 20 years of business experience working for Fortune 100, small businesses and new start-ups. He successfully ran his own small business for over 10 years. He has coached and mentored dozens of small businesses in the Piedmont Triad and surrounding communities for the past five years. He has developed many business models and consults on the use of technology to help businesses of all sizes run cost effectively. And he co-founded a nonprofit mentoring organization to help local business owners and entrepreneurs grow.
Judge noted that GATE is not a part of the federal stimulus program. "It is timely because of the economic climate, but it was already in the works," he said. "We're on the forefront of this recovery." GATE operates as a scholarship program, with up to 750 scholarships likely to be awarded in North Carolina.
According to Judge, Randolph Community College's GATE program emphasizes three key partners: JobLink, the Employment Security Commission, and the RCC Small Business Center. Judge's office is located within the JobLink Career Center on RCC's Asheboro Campus.
"Nancy Landis (JobLink director) and her team have embraced the program and are very enthusiastic about it," said Judge. Interested workers don't even have to wait for an appointment. "They can self-administer a 10-minute orientation video on JobLink computers, click on a link, and immediately apply," he said.
Judge will also be at the Employment Security Commission office on S. Fayetteville Street once a week to meet with people and help them apply. Twenty-minute orientation meetings are currently scheduled every Monday from 9-10 a.m. at the ESC office. Judge said two-thirds of the applications received so far have flowed from the ESC. "I am working closely with Ikel Williams and his team on counseling people," he said.
Since the GATE position reports under RCC's Small Business Center directed by Victor Dau, applicants can draw on the strength of the seminars, classes and services offered by the College. "We're fortunate to have such strong small business resources already in place that allow me to hit the ground running," Judge said. Those receiving a GATE scholarship will be eligible for a new, three-hour seminar titled "From Losing My Job to Owning My Job," the North Carolina REAL Entrepreneurship course, vocational courses related to the particular business they are starting, and free ongoing coaching and confidential counseling from the Small Business Center. This may include developing a business plan, financial counseling or credit repair, and help on other issues specific to the business.
So who is eligible for GATE? Applicants must be rural dislocated workers (lost a job through no fault of their own due to a business closing or layoff) and be eligible for the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) program. Applicants must also be 18 or older and eligible to work in the United States.
In North Carolina, Project GATE is being offered as a cooperative venture of the N.C. Department of Commerce, the N.C. Community College System - Small Business Center Network, the Employment Security Commission of North Carolina, North Carolina REAL Enterprises, local JobLink Career Centers, and the Rural Center.
Interested individuals may call or e-mail Jim Judge at 336-633-0306 or jmjudge@randolph.edu, go to www.randolph.edu, or visit the local JobLink Career Center at RCC's Asheboro Campus. Applications are also available online at www.ncprojectgate.org.
