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When companies come to scout out the Sacramento region as a potential site , one of the most compelling selling points is how closely our local higher education institutions work together to provide the diverse workforce they ’ ll need .
“ We all have — and I hate to use this word , but it ’ s the right word — our own niches ,” says Sacramento State President Robert Nelsen . He says the system was designed that way . Community colleges prepare hands-on workers such as welders and assemblers , Sacramento State provides the engineers who manage projects , and UC Davis students and faculty handle the research and development .
Developing ‘ Entrepreneurial Mindsets ’ In a recent presentation to site developers from around the country , representatives from the Los Rios Community College District , Sac State and UC Davis talked about how they worked together . Los Rios Chancellor Brian King says that several of the site selectors told him it was obvious that he , Nelsen and UC Davis Chancellor Gary May not only work together well but also genuinely like each other .
“ They were talking about how many places they go where the leaders of the region seem to be meeting for the first time , and that ’ s not the way our region is ,” King says . “ Chancellor May , President Nelsen and I have regular communications . We weren ’ t talking as strangers , we were talking as friends and colleagues who knew each other well and had a lot of mutual respect and trust . That ’ s not typical .”
Nelsen says he meets with five to six companies a month that are considering relocating to the area and that over the past few years , Sac State has ramped up its focus on supplying a qualified workforce for arriving companies in addition to those already here . What was originally the Office of Research is now the Office of Research , Innovation and Economic Development , a division Nelsen says was specifically designed to promote training in cyber security , power engineering and other specialties that companies coming to the region want .
Nelsen notes that Sac State ’ s Center for Small Business , which has provided services such as human resources , marketing , and financial analysis and planning for local businesses since 1969 , now has over 2,000 clients . The Carlsen Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship has also seen significant growth , he says , and recently announced a partnership with FourthWave , an accelerator for women-led tech companies .
UC Davis is also supporting a new generation of entrepreneurs as they turn their business dreams into reality . “ The Mike and Renee Child Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship trains students to develop entrepreneurial mindsets and helps our faculty researchers learn how to commercialize their intellectual property ,” says H . Rao Unnava , the Michael and Joelle Hurlston Dean at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management .
UC Davis ’ Big Bang ! business competition attracts over 100 teams to present their business ideas to a panel of judges , with the winners receiving prize money and free advice . One Big Bang ! competitor , Evolve BioSystems in Davis , recently secured $ 65 million in funding , while another founded by UC Davis engineers , Origin Materials in Sacramento , recently went public through a special purpose acquisition company .
Unnava came to UC Davis after a career in management and as an investor in several successful companies . One of his favorite programs at UC Davis is Aggie Launch , which helps students find jobs at a level commensurate with their education . “ With a large undergraduate program , local companies will have access to thousands of qualified interns , and finally potential employees , because of this program ,” Unnava says .
Aligning the Ecosystem Los Rios Chancellor King wants to make the transition from high school to college easier , especially for low-income students and students of color . That ’ s why he ’ s excited about the Sacramento K16 Collaborative , a new program embraced by local education
“ With a large undergraduate program , local companies will have access to thousands of qualified interns , and finally potential employees , because of ( Aggie Launch ).
H . RAO UNNAVA MICHAEL AND JOELLE HURLSTON DEAN , UC DAVIS GRADUATE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
leaders that will allow high-school students to earn college credits through a dual enrollment system .
“ First-generation students who come from a background with less privilege who have college units when they graduate from high school are much more likely to complete their studies at a community college or university ,” King says . A student who earns 60 college units in high school could potentially enter a university as a junior , which can save up to two years of tuition . Because the collaborative focuses on pathways to careers such as engineering , King says , it also works to get skilled employees with the potential for longer careers and greater earnings into the workforce faster .
King says that with the assistance of the leaders at UC Davis , Sac State and the
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