Entrepreneurship efforts at College of the Canyons received a several-hundred-thousand-dollar boost, officials said Monday.

COC’s MakerSpace received more than $300,000 in grant funding for the Valencia and Canyon Country campuses.

“Our two MakerSpace locations have given our students and faculty a place where they can imagine, create and explore,” Chancellor Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook said. “We are proud to be at the forefront of this exciting and innovative initiative led by the California Community College Chancellor’s Office.”

COC is one of 24 colleges statewide to participate in the MakerSpace program, which looks to share best practices and develop a model for creating college MakerSpace communities, as part of the CCC Maker Initiative.

“The California Community College (CCC) Maker initiative will build a community of college makerspaces that welcome non-traditional students, support faculty in embedding making into instruction and offering adaptive curriculum, and partner with businesses to produce innovation-ready graduates inspired to contribute to the creative economy,” according to the program’s site.

The money from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office is to enhance its MakerSpace centers at the Valencia and Canyon Country campuses with additional equipment, courses, training and internships. The grant totaled $311,432 for both campuses.

“We are honored to have been selected for this grant from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office to take our college’s two MakerSpace locations to the next level,” said Ron McFarland, dean of the college’s School of Applied Technology.

The vision of the statewide initiative is to drive innovation in education and prepare students for success in STEM/STEAM careers that demand 21st century skills.

“California community colleges are building MakerSpaces so students, faculty and staff can interact with others who have shared interests, learn to use tools, make class projects and develop their knowledge through exploration and hands on experiences,” said Carol Pepper-Kittredge, manager of the CCC Maker Statewide Project.

Both of COC’s MakerSpace facilities have been designed as collaborative learning areas that give users free access to tools, materials, technological resources, skills training and a variety of entrepreneurial opportunities.

The MakerSpace mission is to enable community members to design, prototype and create manufactured works that wouldn’t be possible to create with the resources available to individuals working alone.

MakerSpace Valencia opened in May 2016, followed by the opening of the Canyon Country campus location five months later.

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