By: Ken Wiseman

I am writing today to ask for your support of a fellow small business owner in the Santa Clarita Valley. Michele Jenkins is running for re-election on the Santa Clarita Community College District Board of Trustees in area 4.  As an individual and community leader who has served College of the Canyons as a Trustee during expansive growth and development, I can guarantee that Michele has consistently had the interest of our local businesses and COC’s students in mind when she has made decisions that have shaped the future of College of the Canyons.

The decision to begin an economic development division at COC at a time when the community college system didn’t embrace this role was visionary and is critical to maintain as our valley’s businesses struggle to emerge from the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.  That decision led to the development of the college’s Economic Development Division that is a model in the state. With its award-winning Employee Training Institute, Small Business Development Center and the Center for Applied Competitive Technologies as the foundation, coupled with newly established Entrepreneurship Center, Business Incubator and MakerSpace, COC delivers a broad array of services to support Santa Clarita businesses and their employees.

I am a longtime resident of Santa Clarita, recently retired CEO of AMS Fulfillment and now their Chief Workforce Development Officer.  COC, in partnership with AMS Fulfillment and LA County, wrote a curriculum and was awarded grants to launch the first Logistics Apprentice Program in the country.  This program benefited 17 employees of AMS, giving them the opportunity to further their careers.  COC then developed a grant for 30 individuals to go through an AMS Pre-Apprentice Program to develop employment skills.  Candidates were selected based on those that were struggling to maintain employment.  COC has sent their training staff to the AMS Learning Center to teach several programs of ESL, Leadership Training, Lean Management, and Math and Computer skills (to name just a few).  All of these classes were provided either free of charge to our employees, or through greatly reduced fees due to the various grants that COC has received through Federal, State, or County funding.  Without their outreach efforts and affordable training opportunities, our company would not have experienced this invaluable educational impact made available to our associates.

The college seeks out partnerships with local businesses to help with everything from assistance with recruitment of qualified candidates, specific training designed to meet the unique hiring needs of local businesses, and ongoing education to perfect skills and prepare existing company employees for career development.

They also offer business consulting services to align business with local resources and experienced business leadership. My participation in the SCV EDC, provides me awareness that there are businesses in Santa Clarita that thrive today because of support they received from COC.

On any measure, whether it is ranking as the second-highest student completion rate of 115 community colleges, or 21st out of 1,750 community colleges in the nation in supporting adult learners or being the number two in the increase of associate degrees for transfer in the state, College of the Canyons continues to stand out from the rest.

Please join me in voting for Michele Jenkins as she is a huge part of the success story at COC!

Most Sincerely,

Ken Wiseman
Chief Workforce Development Officer
AMS Fulfillment

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.