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A new start for the laid off Posted on 20/9/4/25 SOURCE: THE COURIER-TRIBUNEASHEBORO— A new federal program to help laid-off workers start their own smallbusinesses has gotten off to a fast start at Randolph Community College.
Theprogram is offered as part of a U.S. Department of Labor nationaldemonstration program called Project GATE (Growing America ThroughEntrepreneurship).
GATE targets dislocated workers from ruralcounties for a variety of assistance directly related to starting andrunning a business. North Carolina is one of four states offeringassistance through GATE from 2009-11, and RCC is one of eight communitycolleges in the state hosting GATE sites.
Jim Judge, the newGATE counselor at RCC who started work in late March, said his officehas been inundated with inquiries about the program, which offers freebusiness training, free counseling and access to business loans.
Judgesaid an important component of the program is that unemployed workerscan still receive their unemployment benefits while getting theirbusinesses off the ground.
Hehas over 20 years of business experience working for Fortune 100, smallbusinesses and new start-ups. He successfully ran his own smallbusiness for over 10 years. He has coached and mentored dozens of smallbusinesses in the Piedmont Triad and surrounding communities for thepast five years. He has developed many business models and consults onthe use of technology to help businesses of all sizes run costeffectively. And he co-founded a nonprofit mentoring organization tohelp local business owners and entrepreneurs grow.
Judge notedthat GATE is not a part of the federal stimulus program. “It is timelybecause of the economic climate, but it was already in the works,” hesaid. “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.
Accordingto Judge, RCC’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’sAsheboro Campus, 629 Industrial Park Ave.“NancyLandis (Randolph County JobLink director) and her team have embracedthe program and are very enthusiastic about it,” said Judge.
Interestedworkers don’t even have to wait for an appointment. “They canself-administer a 10-minute orientation video on JobLink computers,click on a link, and immediately apply,” he said.
Judge willalso be at the Employment Security Commission of North Carolina office,at 355 S. Fayetteville St. in Asheboro, once a week to meet with peopleand help them apply. Twenty-minute orientation meetings are currentlyscheduled every Monday from 9-10 a.m. at the ESC office.
Judgesaid two-thirds of the applications received so far have flowed fromthe ESC. “I am working closely with Ikel Williams (Randolph County ESCmanager) and his team on counseling people,” he said.
Since theGATE position reports under RCC’s Small Business Center directed byVictor Dau, applicants can draw on the strength of the seminars,classes and services offered by the college.
“We’re fortunate tohave such strong small business resources already in place that allowme to hit the ground running,” Judge said.
Those receiving aGATE scholarship will be eligible for a new, three-hour seminar titled“From Losing My Job to Owning My Job,” the North Carolina REALEntrepreneurship course, vocational courses related to the particularbusiness they are starting, and free ongoing coaching and confidentialcounseling from the Small Business Center. This may include developinga business plan, financial counseling or credit repair, and help onother issues specific to the business.
So who is eligible forGATE? Applicants must be rural dislocated workers, who lost a jobthrough no fault of their own due to a business closing or layoff, andbe eligible for the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) program. Applicantsmust also be 18 or older and eligible to work in the United States.
InNorth Carolina, Project GATE is being offered as a cooperative ventureof the N.C. Department of Commerce, the N.C. Community College System —Small Business Center Network, the Employment Security Commission ofNorth Carolina, North Carolina REAL Enterprises, local JobLink CareerCenters and the Rural Center.
Interested individuals may call Jim Judge at 633-0306 or email him at jmjudge@randolph.edu, go to www.randolph.eduand click on the GATE Program Quick Link, or visit the local JobLinkCareer Center at RCC’s Asheboro Campus for more information.Applications are also available online at www.ncprojectgate.org.
SOURCE: THE COURIER-TRIBUNE
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