Empowering Cordilleran Entrepreneurs: CCDC’s Commitment to Community Business Growth

Cordillera Career Development College (CCDC) is lighting the way for local entrepreneurship in the Cordillera region. Through innovative programs and community partnerships, CCDC blends education with real-world business training to uplift the community and drive sustainable development. From bustling business expos to on-campus entrepreneurial hubs and outreach workshops, the college is transforming students and community members into empowered entrepreneurs. It’s an inspiring journey of education, sustainable development, community upliftment, and hands-on learning in action – all aimed at building financially and socially sustainable businesses in the region.

 

MSME Business Expo: Building Partnerships and Real-World Skills

One of CCDC’s flagship initiatives is the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Business Expo launched as part of the college’s 31st founding anniversary celebration. This two-week expo – held from March 7 to 23, 2024 – brought together students, local producers, and small business owners from neighboring communities in a vibrant showcase of products and ideas. True to its theme “Promoting and Building Partnerships,” the event was a collaborative effort across CCDC’s departments (Business Education, Accountancy, Law, and the Graduate School), designed as an open platform for micro and small entrepreneurs, cooperatives, women’s associations, and even the college’s adopted rural communities of Banayakeo and Cayapes.

At the MSME Expo, budding entrepreneurs not only exhibited their products but also gained vital knowledge through on-site training. A free bookkeeping seminar (part of the “Sumika-Sika Tako” series) was conducted by CCDC’s College of Accountancy, teaching basic accounting principles to help business owners manage their finances effectively. “This knowledge can help entrepreneurs manage their finances, scale operations, attract investors, and seek financing,” CCDC notes, emphasizing how financial literacy equips participants with skills for long-term success. Likewise, CCDC’s College of Law stepped up by offering legal assistance to attendees – guiding MSMEs on business registration and regulatory requirements to ensure they stay compliant and protected. These targeted resources (from bookkeeping to business law) give local startups a solid foundation in financial management and legal know-how, boosting their confidence to grow their ventures.

Importantly, the expo served as more than a learning venue – it was a networking and growth platform for the region’s entrepreneurs. By bringing together MSMEs, investors, and industry experts under one roof, the event helped address common challenges small businesses face in accessing markets, technology, and capital. Entrepreneurs gained visibility and market access by showcasing their products to the public and the college community. Such exposure promotes brand recognition and partnership opportunities, enabling MSMEs to scale up, innovate, and contribute more to the local economy. In short, CCDC’s MSME Expo bridged classroom learning with real-world entrepreneurship – demonstrating how an academic institution can catalyze community business development. Participants left not only with new sales and contacts, but with practical insights and an invigorated spirit to pursue their business dreams.

 

Entrepreneurship Center: Supporting Student and Local Products

Beyond large events, CCDC integrates entrepreneurship into daily campus life through its Entrepreneurship Center, an on-campus initiative that actively supports student startups and local producers. In partnership with the school’s Business Office, the CCDC Entrepreneurship Center purchases and promotes local products for use in the institution and for buy-and-sell activities. This means that everything from homemade goodies to handicrafts made by students or small family enterprises in the community find their way into campus stores, school functions, and even class projects. For instance, faculty and staff have sourced strawberry preserves from La Trinidad farmers and aromatic coffee brews from Benguet as tokens during school events or for resale at the campus entrepreneur shop. By doing so, CCDC provides student entrepreneurs with an opportunity to earn income and apply their business knowledge in a real market setting, all while uplifting local producers by giving their products wider exposure within the college community.

This symbiotic program creates a living lab of entrepreneurship on campus. Students learn the ropes of product sourcing, marketing, and sales first-hand – skills that simply cannot be learned from textbooks alone. At the same time, local small businesses benefit from a consistent client and promoter in the college. “Through this collaboration, CCDC strengthens its commitment to sustainability, community empowerment, and practical learning,” the college observes, underscoring its role as a catalyst for both education and economic development in the region. The Entrepreneurship Center’s support network helps ensure that business ideas are not only incubated within the school, but also tested and refined with real customers. The result is a generation of socially conscious entrepreneurs prepared to run sustainable enterprises, and a community that thrives through shared success.

 

Empowering Youth through Collaborative Workshops

CCDC’s commitment to entrepreneurship and community upliftment extends beyond its campus and typical college-age population. In a remarkable collaborative outreach, the College of Social Work and the College of Business Education & Administration teamed up with the Regional Rehabilitation Center for Youth (RRCY) to run a seminar-workshop that empowers at-risk youth through livelihood training. This program was anchored on Republic Act No. 10611, the Philippines’ Food Safety Act of 2013, and aligned with RA 10679, the Youth Entrepreneurship Act, to ensure both practical skill-building and entrepreneurial education for the participants.

The workshop focused on food safety and entrepreneurial awareness, teaching the RRCY youth the importance of hygienic food handling (a crucial “farm-to-fork” knowledge for anyone in food businesses) while simultaneously igniting their interest in small-scale enterprise. Participants engaged in hands-on cooking sessions where they practiced proper food preparation techniques and learned to develop simple products safely. But cooking was just the beginning – these young trainees also gained “practical insights into managing a food business — including cost control, marketing strategies, and compliance with food safety regulations.” In other words, they were not only taught how to make a dish, but also how to turn that dish into a potential livelihood. By merging culinary skills with basic business acumen, the initiative provided tools for personal growth and a pathway for these youths to become entrepreneurs in their own right.

This collaborative workshop illustrates CCDC’s deep commitment to inclusive and sustainable development. It targets some of the region’s most vulnerable young people and equips them with skills and hope for a better future. In doing so, it advances multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – promoting good health and well-being through food safety (SDG 3), decent work and economic growth by fostering youth entrepreneurship (SDG 8), and even poverty reduction through opportunities for self-employment (SDG 1). The success of the program stands as a testament to the college’s mission of empowering not just its students but the broader community through education, health awareness, and entrepreneurial development. It’s a heartening example of how CCDC helps build a more economically resilient society by reaching out to those who need guidance the most, proving that entrepreneurship can be a powerful tool for social change.

 

Driving Sustainable Development and Community Upliftment

Across all these initiatives, a unifying theme shines through: CCDC’s dedication to real-world training and community empowerment as a means to drive sustainable development. Whether it’s a college student starting a small venture on campus or a local farmer expanding market reach through a CCDC expo, the goal is to create financially and socially sustainable businesses that uplift livelihoods. Each program is carefully crafted with targeted resources and mentorship to ensure participants succeed not only in profit-making but also in building enterprises that can endure and give back to the community.

Through the MSME Expo, Entrepreneurship Center, and collaborative workshops, CCDC provides budding entrepreneurs with a holistic support system, including:

 

Financial Literacy & Bookkeeping Training: Workshops and seminars (like the Sumika-Sika Tako bookkeeping series) equip entrepreneurs with essential accounting skills to manage finances and plan for growth.

Legal and Regulatory Guidance: CCDC’s experts, such as the College of Law’s Community Legal Aid Clinic (CLAC), offer counseling on business registration, permits, and legal compliance, helping MSMEs navigate regulations confidently.

Product Promotion and Market Access: Through campus-based product showcases and business expos, local products are promoted to new customer bases. CCDC’s buy-and-sell programs give entrepreneurs a chance to test and refine their products in a supportive environment.

Hands-On Capacity Building: Practical training sessions and capacity development activities (for example, food safety and production workshops with RRCY youth) build real skills. Entrepreneurs learn by doing – from crafting products to crafting business strategies – ensuring they are job-ready and opportunity-ready.

By investing in these areas, CCDC doesn’t just produce graduates – it produces community leaders, job creators, and change-makers. The college’s efforts illustrate how education can be seamlessly intertwined with entrepreneurship to yield tangible social impact. Every seminar attendee who learns to keep better books, every student who sells a product they crafted, every rehabilitated youth who discovers a talent in business – they all become part of a growing network of empowered individuals contributing to the region’s economic and social vitality.

 

A Community Journey of Growth and Hope

CCDC’s proactive stance on entrepreneurship development has fostered a culture of innovation and mutual support in the Cordilleran community. The motivational ripple effect is clear: students dream bigger, local businesses grow stronger, and even marginalized youth find hope in new skills. In championing education that goes “beyond the walls of its halls,” CCDC has become more than a college – it is a partner in regional economic empowerment.

The story of CCDC and community entrepreneurship is ultimately a story of hope and resilience. It shows that with the right support and opportunities, ordinary people can achieve extraordinary feats – be it launching a small family enterprise or transforming a hobby into a sustainable livelihood. CCDC invites everyone in the community to be part of this journey. Whether you are a student with a business idea, a local artisan with products to share, or a professional eager to mentor and give back, there is a place for you in this growing ecosystem of entrepreneurs. Together, the CCDC family and the wider community are proving that sustainable development is not just a lofty ideal but a reachable reality – one small business, one training, and one empowered individual at a time. In the highlands of the Cordillera, CCDC is planting the seeds of enterprise and nurturing them into thriving gardens of opportunity – and that is a future everyone can be excited about.

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