Students graduate from Santa Maria-based Advanced Spanish Self-Employment Training Course. Next session begins Aug. 18. Next orientation is Aug. 4 in Santa Maria
Amigos805 staff reports
Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) celebrated the accomplishments of 18 women and men graduating from the Santa Maria-based Advanced Spanish Self-Employment Training (SSET) course with a ceremony held on July 28 at the United Domestic Workers (UDW) Hall in Santa Maria.
Members of the Santa Maria-based Advanced Spanish Self-Employment Training Course gather for a group photo. They include, from left, Guillermo Chavez, Spanish program coordinator; Cristian Arauz, Myriam Fabián, Fortino Santos, Cristina Gonzalez, Abraham Castillo, Sergio Zepeda, instructor; from left bottom row, Agustina Navarro, Norma Camacho, María Moreida-Magaña, Olga Santos, Salustia Avila, Gricelda Salgado De Martinez and Lucerito Salgado. Courtesy photo.
These SSET graduates are part of the first graduating class since the opening of Women’s Economic Ventures’ new Santa Maria office in April of this year, WEV officials reported in a media release.
After months of training on topics including finances, marketing and sales, public relations and advertising, legal and insurance issues, record keeping and how to write a business plan, the graduates gained the tools and support needed to grow or start their own business.
Some businesses and business concepts include an event decorating business, a mobile detail and car wash, and a cultural center for Latinos.
“We are excited to welcome the latest Spanish Self-Employment Training graduates into the world of business,” Guillermo Chavez, WEV Spanish program coordinator stated in the release. “I have enjoyed watching each client grow throughout the course and I’m excited to see what the future holds for them.”
Graduates range from first-time business owners to those who have turned to WEV to help expand their existing businesses.
WEV’s Self-Employment Training course is part of WEV’s continuum of programs that help entrepreneurs start, launch, grow, and sustain a business, the organization reported. With a robust menu of training, consulting, networking events and access to capital through the WEV loan program, WEV has served more than 12,000 clients, made more than $3.5 million in microloans and helped start or sustain an estimated 3,000 businesses supporting more than 4,000 local jobs since 1991.
WEV’s 14- week advanced Self-Employment Training course provides guidance on how to start, operate or expand a business. Participants leave the course with a complete business plan including a marketing plan, a cash flow projection, an operations plan and a core network to help sustain the business.
The next Advanced Spanish Self-Employment Training (SSET) course in Santa Maria begins on Aug.18. An orientation or a meeting with Chavez is required to enroll. He can be reached at 805-456-2319.
The next orientation will take place from 5:30-6:30 p.m Tuesday, Aug. 4 at MIYB Spaces, 429 E. Main St, Santa Maria.
The location is subject to change. To register for the orientation, call 805-456-2319 or visit the website at http://www.wevonline.org/orientaciones/article/745.