Mobile, Ala. — A graduation ceremony was held February 22, 2022 for the inaugural class of the City of Mobile’s “Contractor’s College,” which was launched last year through a partnership with Bishop State Community College.
The Contractor’s College aims to help small businesses and entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of bidding for and managing public contracts. With curriculum provided by Bishop State Community College and support from the City of Mobile’s Office of Supplier Diversity, the program helps current and aspiring contractors develop the skills needed to navigate the bidding process, manage the requirements of public contracts, and scale up their businesses operations to take on larger projects.
“We know there are a lot of people who are very skilled working with their hands or experienced as a subcontractor who may not necessarily be as familiar with the business side of contracting,” Mayor Sandy Stimpson said. “By helping develop these administrative skills through the Contractor’s College, our Office of Supplier Diversity is expanding the pool of businesses able to compete for City of Mobile contracts while also helping small and minority-owned businesses grow their operations. I want to thank Bishop State Community College for their support of this important program as well as our Supplier Diversity Manager Archnique Kidd for her continued and impactful work in this area.”
Each of the eight graduates today received a diploma for completing the first phase of the Contractor’s College as well as college credit for completing the coursework. The majority will be moving on to a second phase of the program and more than half have already bid for or been awarded City contracts with another having recently completed a contract with the WAVE Transit System.
"We are proud to partner with the City of Mobile and offer this service to our small and minority-owned business community,' says Dr. Lawrence Brandyburg, Interim President of Bishop State Community College. "As a college, we work to make sure everyone has an opportunity to receive a quality education. With this partnership, we are able to take that one step further and ensure small businesses learn how to handle the business side of their company while growing and taking on larger projects."
The City of Mobile was able to use federally allocated funding to make the Contractor’s College programming available to small business owners in the City of Mobile and provide scholarships to cover the cost of tuition for those who qualify. Applications for the next class will soon be accepted. More information is available at bishop.edu/programs/workforce-development/contractors-college.
More information about the City of Mobile’s Office of Supplier Diversity and its various programs can be found at workwith.cityofmobile.org/WorkWithCity.