Economic Development Receives Awards of Merit

Carlsbad’s Economic Development staff received two awards of merit from the California Association for Local Economic Development. The first award was in the partnerships category for the city’s MiraCosta Technology Career Institute. The institute opened in April 2015 in a city-owned building and develops a skilled workforce by training and certifying students and incumbent workers in high demand, advanced manufacturing positions. The institute has been successful at graduating hundreds of people and developing a talent pipeline to meet the needs of businesses.

The second award, in the programs category, is for the Bio, Tech and Beyond Startup Showcase held at Thermo Fisher Scientific in October 2015. The city partnered with the incubator for the showcase where nine companies pitched their innovation in three minutes to media, venture capitalists and businesses, resulting in greater opportunities for the businesses. Since the showcase, event incubator companies like Koliber Biosciences have been able to raise over $3 million in investment funding. Economic Development staff will be presented with the awards at the California Association for Local Economic Development annual conference in April.