On September 11, 2001, while sitting in a high school classroom, Richard Garcia witnessed the World Trade Center in New York City catch fire and collapse. That day, he marched into a recruitment office to join the Marine Corps.
He spent almost a decade in the Marine Corps, including a tour in Afghanistan. In 2011, he left as a sergeant and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.
Garcia then applied to the Los Angeles Police Academy, but after a year with no reply, enrolled in a private protection detail program. When he finished that program, he again waited for job offers, which never came. It was then that he found MiraCosta College's Homeland Security Program, which is approved by the US Department of Veterans Affairs and accepts the GI Bill.
Three weeks after finishing the program, Garcia received a job offer. Today, he works as a team leader for a private company in Los Angeles.
Garcia now joins 250 other veterans who have graduated from the college's Homeland Security Program and have found careers as armed guards or personal security detail.
In 2013, to help develop and expand programs like Homeland Security, the US Department of Labor awarded MiraCosta College a $2.75 million grant. In 2014, the college teamed up with the City of Carlsbad to identify a location for a new
Technology Career Institute (TCI) where students, including military veterans and the unemployed, would be trained to fill a growing demand for industrial technicians in North San Diego County.
"The Technology Career Institute will benefit Carlsbad businesses and businesses throughout the region by providing much-needed training and workforce development, while offering local residents a convenient option for gaining highly marketable, advanced machining and manufacturing skills," said City of Carlsbad Mayor Matt Hall. "This kind of partnership is a great example of what can be achieved when organizations collaborate toward common goals."
The TCI houses programs like Homeland Security, as well as programs that train students to work in industries such as high-tech manufacturing, maritime technology and biotech manufacturing. The institute will also expand the college's Machinist Certificate Program and create industry-recognized electronics engineering technician and robotics/automation certificate programs. Plus, the TCI offers accelerated 12- to 16-week programs in which students are immersed in hands-on, skills-based environments.
The building is also a new home to the San Diego North Small Business Development Center (SBDC), which MiraCosta College has hosted since 1999. The SBDC provides resources, workshops and leadership programs for growing and established small businesses?an important part of MiraCosta College's mission of strengthening the economic well-being of the community.
In 2014, the SBDC, through 150 workshops and 3,182 hours of counseling, helped small businesses obtain $4.4 million in financing, increase sales by $14.3 million, win government contracts of $9.9 million, and create/retain 366 jobs.
For more information about the Technology Career Institute, or to find out the types of programs that are being offered, visit miracosta.edu/community or contact our Community Education and Workforce Development Department at 760-795-6820. For more information about the SBDC, visit sandiegosmallbiz.com or call 760-795-8740.
He spent almost a decade in the Marine Corps, including a tour in Afghanistan. In 2011, he left as a sergeant and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.
Garcia then applied to the Los Angeles Police Academy, but after a year with no reply, enrolled in a private protection detail program. When he finished that program, he again waited for job offers, which never came. It was then that he found MiraCosta College's Homeland Security Program, which is approved by the US Department of Veterans Affairs and accepts the GI Bill.
Three weeks after finishing the program, Garcia received a job offer. Today, he works as a team leader for a private company in Los Angeles.
Garcia now joins 250 other veterans who have graduated from the college's Homeland Security Program and have found careers as armed guards or personal security detail.
In 2013, to help develop and expand programs like Homeland Security, the US Department of Labor awarded MiraCosta College a $2.75 million grant. In 2014, the college teamed up with the City of Carlsbad to identify a location for a new
Technology Career Institute (TCI) where students, including military veterans and the unemployed, would be trained to fill a growing demand for industrial technicians in North San Diego County.
"The Technology Career Institute will benefit Carlsbad businesses and businesses throughout the region by providing much-needed training and workforce development, while offering local residents a convenient option for gaining highly marketable, advanced machining and manufacturing skills," said City of Carlsbad Mayor Matt Hall. "This kind of partnership is a great example of what can be achieved when organizations collaborate toward common goals."
The TCI houses programs like Homeland Security, as well as programs that train students to work in industries such as high-tech manufacturing, maritime technology and biotech manufacturing. The institute will also expand the college's Machinist Certificate Program and create industry-recognized electronics engineering technician and robotics/automation certificate programs. Plus, the TCI offers accelerated 12- to 16-week programs in which students are immersed in hands-on, skills-based environments.
The building is also a new home to the San Diego North Small Business Development Center (SBDC), which MiraCosta College has hosted since 1999. The SBDC provides resources, workshops and leadership programs for growing and established small businesses?an important part of MiraCosta College's mission of strengthening the economic well-being of the community.
In 2014, the SBDC, through 150 workshops and 3,182 hours of counseling, helped small businesses obtain $4.4 million in financing, increase sales by $14.3 million, win government contracts of $9.9 million, and create/retain 366 jobs.
For more information about the Technology Career Institute, or to find out the types of programs that are being offered, visit miracosta.edu/community or contact our Community Education and Workforce Development Department at 760-795-6820. For more information about the SBDC, visit sandiegosmallbiz.com or call 760-795-8740.