New Credit Program Proposal Documentation Guide
Data Requirements
Program Title: Small Business Entrepreneurship AA Degree
Program Goal: To be a CTE program that prepares students to understand the process of
developing, launching and managing a small business. Through academic coursework and
experiential learning students will leave prepared to pursue the entrepreneurial lifestyle and be
ready to maximize their entrepreneurial potential. Students who complete the program will be
proficient in the process and procedures needed to transform an initial entrepreneurial idea
into a viable business operation. Upon completion of the program the goal is for students to be
proficient in the following skill-sets:






Conducting feasibility studies toward analyzing and evaluating business ideas.
Developing a quality product or providing a reliable service.
Constructing a Business Plan integrating innovative Marketing and Advertising Plans.
Preparing business financial statements.
Conducting sales and advertising by way of traditional methods and digital methods.
Formatting flyers, business cards and websites for the marketing of a small business.
Through business simulations, mentorships and internships within local small businesses in the
surrounding community this program will also provide students with practical knowledge,
hands-on experience, and the skills to be a successful entrepreneur.
Program TOP Code: 0506.40
Effective Date: September 2014
Units for Degree Major or Area of Emphasis: 41
Total Units for Degree – Minimum and Maximum: 60
Required Units – Certificate only: N/A
Annual Completers: Projected 25-30
Faculty Workload:
1
New Faculty Positions: 1
New Equipment:
N/A
New/Remodeled Facility: N/A
1
Library Acquisitions: N/A
Program Review Date: Spring: 2014
Gainful Employment: Yes
Courses Required (including pre-requisite courses)
Required Courses
Orientation
Small Business Management
Business Computations
Business Law
Microcomputer Software Survey In the Office
Business Communication
Principles of Accounting
Principles of Marketing
Spreadsheet Analysis
Personal or Small Business Finance
Elements of Supervision
Principles of Selling
The Business of Electronic Commerce
Venture Launch / Internship
Total Required
N/A
MGMT 013
BUS 038
BUS 05
CAOT 82
BUS 032
ACCT 001
MKT 021
CAOT 85
Fin 8
SUPV 001
MKT 001
BUS 22
Marketing 025
N/A
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
41
LABOR MARKET INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS
Entrepreneurship plays a vital role in the growth of the U.S. economy. The Obama
administration has recognized the need for an increase in small business entrants and has
committed to helping America celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship
throughout the nation. The mission to promote entrepreneurship is a core component of
President Obama’s national innovation strategy for achieving sustainable growth and quality
jobs.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics the number of new business establishments
(establishments that are less than 1 year old in any given year) tends to rise and fall with the
business cycle of the overall economy. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) collects data on
new businesses and job creation. Its Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data are designed to
provide some insight as to the contribution of new and small businesses to the number of
businesses and jobs in the economy. As stated in the BED data series covering the years from
1994 to 2010 the number of new establishments for the year ending March 2010 was lower
than any other year since the series began in 1994. (see – Business Employment Dynamics:
Chart 1).
2
The number of jobs created by small business establishments less than 1 year old has also
decreased from 4.1 million in 1994, when this series began, to 2.5 million in 2010. This trend
combined with that of fewer new establishments overall indicates that the number of new jobs
in small business establishments are declining. (see - Business Employment Dynamics: Chart 2).
Small Business survival also plays a vital role in contributing to the vitality of the economy. The
BED also conducted a study that tracked cohorts of new business establishments to measure
how many survived from year to year. The data revealed that small businesses who have been
in business more than five years have a higher failure rate, due to lack of technology and
market adaptation, than those businesses now entering the marketplace. The data also
conveyed that businesses emphasizing health care and social assistance consistently rank
among the industries with the highest survival rate, while those emphasizing construction rank
among the lowest. (see – Business Employment Dynamics: Charts 3 and 4).
According to the Employment Development Department – Labor Market Information Division
for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale areas, the most current information related to small
businesses having 1 to 499 employees reveals a concentration of businesses within the service
and retail industries. Within the service industry there are an estimated 275,774 businesses
employing 1,796,896 workers. Within the retail trade industry there are an estimated 25,831
businesses employing 394,731 workers. Many of our students at LATTC are presently employed,
or seeking to establish their own businesses within these prominent industries. Most important
for our students is that approximately 70% of all businesses employ less than five workers.
These are the true “start - up” businesses and the foundation of the small business enterprises.
(see – Employment Development Department: Chart 4).
New small business establishments make an important contribution to the economy. However,
it is inevitable that some of these establishments will eventually fail due to lack of innovation
and/or management education. For an underprivileged community such as that surrounding
Los Angeles Trade-Technical College these facts are a reality for budding entrepreneurs and
small businesses within the community.
Los Angeles Trade-Tech’s Small Business
Entrepreneurship AA Degree Program has the power to change that by offering students the
knowledge and skills necessary to successfully start, run, and grow their small businesses.
3
A.
APPROPRIATENESS TO MISSION
I.
STATEMENT OF PROGRAM GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The Small Business Entrepreneurship AA Degree Program at Los Angeles Trade-Technical
College will prepare students to understand the process of creating, launching and managing a
small business. Through academic coursework and experiential learning students will leave
prepared to pursue the entrepreneurial lifestyle and be ready to maximize their entrepreneurial
potential. Students who complete the program will be proficient in the process and procedures
needed to transform an initial entrepreneurial idea into a viable business operation. Upon
completion of the program students will be proficient in the following skill-sets:






Conducting feasibility studies toward analyzing and evaluating business ideas.
Developing a quality product or providing a reliable service.
Preparing a Business Plan that integrates innovative Marketing and Advertising Plans.
Preparing business financial statements.
Conducting sales and advertising by way of traditional methods and e-commerce.
Formatting flyers, business cards and websites for the marketing of a small business.
Through business simulations, mentorships and internships within local small businesses in the
surrounding community this program will also provide students with practical knowledge,
hands-on experience and the skills to be a successful entrepreneur.
I.
CATALOG DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED PROGRAM
The Small Business Entrepreneurship program will provide practical knowledge, real-world
experience and the advanced business skills necessary to be a successful entrepreneur in any
environment. The graduate possessing the AA degree will be able to identify and rationalize
business opportunities, identify customer markets, identify licensing and legal regulations of
the industry, realize capital potential and prepare dynamic business plans that will lay the
foundation for successful venture launch. Completion of the AA will portend long-term business
success in areas such as; business and human resource management, e-commerce, marketing,
advertising and preparation of business financial statements. The program will enhance the
academic experience by utilizing an integrated, hands-on learning approach that will
encompass internships with local small business partners.
The mission of the program is to ultimately provide the student an environment of excellence in
knowledge and with the latest technological resources and practices of Small Business
Entrepreneurship. Students who complete 60 units of small business entrepreneurship will be
eligible to transfer to a four year institution and/or receive an AA Degree in Small Business
4
Entrepreneurship and students who complete 32 units of Small Business Entrepreneurship
study will be eligible to receive a Certificate of Achievement.
II.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS: ASSOCIATE OF ARTS DEGREE
To obtain an AA degree in Small Business Entrepreneurship students must pass 60 units of
study: 19 units of general education (Education Plan “B”), in addition to 41 Small Business
Entrepreneurship units. Students will be required to attend a no credit orientation upon
entrance into the program.
III.
BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE
Los Angeles Trade-Technical College occupies a twenty-five acre site at the corners of
Washington Boulevard and Grand Avenue near the central business district of Los Angeles.
According to resource information from the college’s Educational Master Plan Trade-Tech is
considered a depressed local economy and a community facing a dangerous existence with
little economic opportunity as measured by the Educational Needs Index (ENI). Our students
see self-employment as a viable way to secure employment and a sustainable income. The
Business Administration and Technologies Department at LATTC has developed the Small
Business Entrepreneurship program to serve and further satisfy the demands of this growing
population.
Los Angeles Trade-Technical College has been training students in its community since 1925.
The college offers both occupational and academic programs to accommodate the transitional
and transformational workers that are in search of new careers in a changing environment.
With the down turn of the economy in 2005 and the election of a new president that promotes
small business, entrepreneurship has been on the rise. As communities across the country
attempt to revitalize their lives within their local economies through entrepreneurship and
small business growth they call on community colleges and their partners to provide skilled
training, educational services, and guidance, in realizing their innovative ideas while fostering
that development and economic growth. The Los Angeles Trade-Tech Small Business
Entrepreneurship AA Degree will aid students in their entrepreneurship endeavors and equip
them with the knowledge and procedures needed to transform an initial idea into a viable
business operation.
This program will also provide services and information to the surrounding community
especially in light of its urban realities related to a concentrated poverty, homelessness and
criminal actives. As part of its program the Small Business Entrepreneurship program will seek
funding and LATTC support to offer business assistance workshops and seminars to the
surrounding community and local small businesses.
5
Student Survey
A student survey (see Student Survey attachment) that included 50 LATTC students from a
variety of disciplines was conducted, 85% of those students expressed a desire to open a small
business. The remaining 15% stated that they were actively running a small business but
wanted to gain more small business knowledge to be successful, or was taking Small Business
Management as a requirement, or had not decided if they wanted to pursue an entrepreneurial
career. The survey results also illustrated that students believed that a Small Business AA
Degree Program would assist in providing them the necessary fundamentals that are needed to
operate a business, give them more knowledge to go out into the work force with more
confidence, aid in providing the necessary knowledge to grow their business to the next level,
and inspire them to open a business while fulfilling their academic goal.
The survey also highlighted that LATTC is the students’ preferred choice to pursue their Small
Business Entrepreneurial education. Ninety-One percent of the students relayed that LATTC
was either close to their home or job. The remaining eight percent stated that LATTC was most
convenient due to the close proximity of surrounding recourses, the accessibility to public
transportation, and the opportuneness of receiving a small business education while pursuing
another LATTC Degree.
The Small Business Entrepreneurship program is designed to teach students to understand the
problems of organizing and operating a small business and how to analyze one’s own personal
qualifications for small business management. Particular emphases are placed on record
keeping, hiring appropriate personnel, marketing techniques, and the use of the latest
technology to enhance small business capabilities toward promoting small business success.
Employer Survey (see Employer Survey attachment)
In order to assure that our students possess the most up-to-date requisite knowledge and skill
to be successful entrepreneurs an employer survey was conducted of local Los Angeles
businesses through the following companies:
Nusabi
Natural Health
U.C.B College Salon
Thornton & Fathy CPA
J.R. Income Tax & ACCTG
DocuINK
Curacao
Deal Makers
White Family Child Care
Perpetual Capital Resource Group
6
The survey revealed that the Small Business AA Degree program should provide the student
with communication skills in terms of expository writing, the use of the computer as a
technological aide, and provide the student with appropriate oral communication skills.
Students should possess general business knowledge related to marketing, customer relations,
and general managerial skills. Finally, the survey revealed that students should understand that
as a member of the business organization loyalty to that organization is expected.
B.
NEED
IV.
ENROLLMENT AND COMPLETER PROJECTIONS
The most recent LATTC data compiled over the past 2 academic years concerning student
enrollment in Small Business Entrepreneurship courses project that 25-30 students annually will
complete the Small Business Entrepreneurship AA Degree program.
V.
PLACE OF PROGRAM IN CURRICULUM/SIMILAR PROGRAMS
The Small Business Entrepreneurship Program will be placed in the Business and Administrative
Technologies Department.
VI.
SUMMARY OF SIMILAR PROGRAMS AT OTHER COLLEGES IN SERVICE AREA
There are two other Small Business Entrepreneurship Programs in the Los Angeles Community
College District. Los Angeles City Community College(LACC) and West Los Angeles Community
College (WLAC). Los Angeles City College used to offer a Small Business Entrepreneurial AA
Degree but is now a part of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Management
Education Program. Its program focuses primarily on established small businesses. The program
comprises 11 short module classes equivalent to 80 hours of business education. The West Los
Angeles Small Business Program focuses on on-line instruction and is primarily an evening
program. In LATTC’s particularly depressed area a majority of students do not have access to
adequate resources to succeed in evening or on-line programs. A Small Business
Entrepreneurship AA Degree will be vital to LATTC students and essential to the local
community.
7
A. CURRICLUM STANDARDS
Proposed Curriculum Sequence
Course Name
Course Number
Number of Units
First Semester
Orientation
Small Business Management
Business Computations
Business Law
Microcomputer Software Survey In the Office
First Semester Units
Principles of Accounting
N/A
MGMT 013
BUS 038
BUS 05
CAOT 82
Second Semester
ACCT 001
Business Communications
BUS 032
Or
Oral Communications for Customer Service Personnel
BUS 014
Principles of Marketing
MKT 021
Spreadsheet Analysis
CAOT 85
Second Semester Units
Third Semester
Personal or Small Business Finance
Fin 8
Elements of Supervision
SUPV 001
or
Personnel Management
MGMT 033
Principles of Selling
MKT 001
or
Fundamentals of Advertising
MKT 11
The Business of Electronic Commerce
BUS 22
Third Semester Units
Fourth Semester
Venture Launch / Internship
Marketing 025
Fourth Semester Units
Total Core Units
VII.
TRANSFER APPLICABILITY
It is the intent of the Business and Administrative Technologies Department in collaboration
with the Los Angeles Trade-Technical College Articulation Officer to have most, if not all, of the
Small Business Entrepreneurship courses articulated with four –year schools. There are fouryear degrees that students could pursue after completing their AA degree, and or IGETC or CSU
and UC transfer requirements. Currently there are some four-year colleges and universities that
offer majors for transfer students in the field of Small Business Entrepreneurship. California
State University at Dominguez Hills and California State University at San Bernardino are two
8
N/A
3
3
3
3
12
5
3
3
3
3
14
3
3
3
3
3
3
12
3
3
41
schools that accommodate transfer majors. All updated course outlines will be attached to
application.
Attachment: All updated course outlines will be submitted
Attachment : Transfer Documentation will be provided
B. ADEQUATE RESOURCES
IX.
LIBRARY OR LEARNING RESOURCES PLAN
Los Angeles Trade –Technical College will work with faculty to insure the availability of class
material to accommodate the needs of our students. We also have extensive library support
systems located at the Los Angeles County Library located in downtown Los Angeles, LATTC’s
library and student services, and the libraries located on the campuses of California State
University at Los Angeles (CSULA) and the University of Southern California (USC).
The Small Business Entrepreneurship program will also use internal and external resources to
provide the required learning resources for students. Small Business computer software such as
Quick Books, Business Simulations and Business Plan Templates will be available to students for
research and small business assistance. Students will also attend introductory and professional
seminars that will be arranged with companies such as the Small Business Administration and
other community resource initiatives.
X. FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT PLAN
The Small Business Entrepreneurship program will require students to have designated space
that will keep them focused on their studies and small business entrepreneurship activities. The
Business and Administrative Technologies Department will secure classroom space equipped
with computers with the latest small business software technology.
XII.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT PLAN
The program will access funding from a variety of sources. The initial funds will come from its
primary support-general apportionment funds. It will also project additional allocated funds
through the Business Administrative Technologies Program Review process. Additionally,
private grants will also be written to support program.
XIII.
FACULTY QUALIFICATIONS AND AVAILIBILITY
It is the desire of the discipline to have faculty who possess an MBA degree with at least 3 years
of small business experience.
9
E:
COMPLIANCE
XIV.
MODEL CURRICULUM
The main focus of LATTC’s Educational Master Plan is student success. The implementation of
the Pathway for Academic, Career, and Transfer Success (PACTS) model is one of LATTC’s
strategic priorities. The plan states the “PACTS model is a sequence of postsecondary
instructional programs and activities, with coordinated supportive services, designed to
provide individuals with the competencies they need to successfully access a college
education, attain industry-recognized and post-secondary credentials and obtain a career that
pays family-supporting wages and offers opportunities for advancement and growth”. The Los
Angeles Trade-Technical College Small business Entrepreneurship program will offer curriculum
that offers students the practical knowledge, real-world experience and the advanced business
skills necessary to be a successful entrepreneur within their community or in any environment.
The program will enhance students industry and post-secondary credentials by offering a
sequence of innovative, technologically challenging coursework and utilizing internships to
provide a hands-on learning experience.
In addition to LATTC’s Educational Master Plan, the Transfer Model Curriculum (TMC) is
another central focus. The Academic Senate for the California Community Colleges has
collaborated with the Academic Senate for the California State Universities to develop
statewide TMCs in the most popular majors completed by students who have transferred to a
CSU and pursued a business administration major (or major comprising business
administration courses). The Los Angeles Trade-Technical Small Business curriculum has
courses that align and have been approved as TMC courses such as Accounting, Business Law,
and Introduction to Business.
XV.
STUDENT SELECTION AND FEES
Students will self-select and standard student fees will apply.
10