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Committee forwards Cuyahoga Community College mentoring initiative to full Council
Summary
County committee heard a presentation on the Center for Entrepreneurs and its mentorship (CFE Mentors) pilot, which has touched nearly 1,000 people and focuses on discovery and foundation training tracks; the committee moved the $10,000 ARPA grant request to full Council.
The Education and Environment Sustainability Committee advanced a $10,000 ARPA grant request to support the Center for Entrepreneurs Mentors program at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C).
Renee Richard, president of Corporate College, and Rhonda McNair, executive director for the Center for Entrepreneurs, told committee members the program launched about 18 months ago and is education-focused, offering a discovery track for idea-stage entrepreneurs and a foundation track for existing small businesses. "Our program is a education-focused program," McNair said, adding that tracks are taught by entrepreneurs and the center seeks to build a continuum to the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program.
Presenters reported the center has touched nearly 1,000 people, that about 89% of program participants identify as minorities and 80% as women, and that course completers have included students from ages roughly 8 to 77. The mentorship pilot, described as 10–12 weeks with weekly touch points, is intended to support completers of the center’s tracks and connect them to longer-term resources and capital programs.
Committee members asked about credit-bearing options, partner organizations and pipeline connections; presenters said the program is currently noncredit with active partnerships including ECDI, Jumpstart, SCORE and local banks, and that the center plans to strengthen links with credit programs over time. The committee moved the item out of committee for full Council consideration.
