By: Emily Fodge
Some things in life can be taken away — a contract that falls through, a season of work that dries up, an opportunity that arrives before you’re ready. But one thing stays with you, no matter what shifts around you: education.
“Once a person receives education, nothing can take that away.”
When Coachella resident, Risseth Lora, said that after completing UCR University Extension’s Micro MBA, the room fell quiet in the particular way it does when someone says something undeniably true.
In growing communities like Coachella, education isn’t just a path to a new skill. It’s stability. It’s possibility. It’s a door that stays open long after the funding cycle ends or the economy changes.
That belief is what brought UCR University Extension, the City of Coachella, and The Caravanserai Project together. ARPA funds created the opportunity, but the purpose was clear long before the first class began: equip residents with knowledge they could use immediately and keep for life.
When the City of Coachella began exploring ways to empower local workers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners, UCR University Extension stepped forward with a tailored solution: free Business Readiness, Micro MBA, and Business English programs designed specifically for Coachella residents.
What happened next became a turning point for residents who’d always had the will. Now, they finally had the way.
How the Partnership Began: Alumni Roots and Shared Purpose
According to David Dayton, Director of Program Development at UCR University Extension, the collaboration began, fittingly, with connection.
“We have close ties with some of the members of the city council at the City of Coachella as they are UCR and UCR Extension alumni,” he shared. When news broke that the city wanted to use ARPA funds to upskill residents after COVID, his team reached out immediately.
They proposed three programs tailored to the city’s goals:
- Business Readiness (developed with The Caravanserai Project and offered bilingually)
- Micro MBA (for experienced professionals and business owners)
- Business English (to support multilingual learners)
The council embraced the idea; not because the program existed, but because it was built with intention.
Closing the Skills Gap, One Community Member at a Time
Every community has a skills gap. In Coachella, the gap wasn’t about talent or ambition — it was about access. Residents needed training that matched where they were and aligned with where they hoped to go.
The Business Readiness program supported early-stage entrepreneurs with fundamentals: budgets, marketing, managing people, and building a sustainable business. It was taught bilingually to reach a broader range of learners.
The Micro MBA deepened those skills for residents already working in or running small businesses. The curriculum included digital marketing, human resources, finance, leadership, and economics — all taught by active professionals.
The Business English course offered learners a chance to strengthen the communication skills essential for today’s workplace. Focused on practical, real-world language use, the course helped students grow more confident in writing, speaking, and navigating professional environments.
As Dayton explained, “The most impactful aspect of the programs was providing the tools and the confidence to the learners to either move ahead with starting their own business or to accelerate their career development. Mentorship provided by the instructors and the Caravanserai staff was also a key highlight.”
Students repeatedly mentioned how much the individualized support and program flexibility influenced them, a hallmark of UCR University Extension’s ‘real-life’ approach to education.
Empowering a Diverse Community of Learners
At the graduation ceremony, Dayton felt the impact in the way people showed up for one another.
“The most rewarding aspect was the graduation ceremony,” he said. “We had great attendance, and I was impressed by the number and diversity of graduates in terms of their ages and professional backgrounds.”
Participants ranged from college students to residents seeking career transitions later in life, all sitting side-by-side, supporting each other’s goals. Many spoke openly about how they planned to apply what they learned to launch businesses or grow in their current roles.
The Win-Win Ripple Effect of Custom Workforce Training Programs
One of the clearest examples of what this partnership made possible lives in Risseth’s story. Local founder of Four Eyes Communications, Risseth Lora, took advantage of the free Micro MBA program to build momentum for her business. She entered the Micro MBA with an idea and left with a roadmap.
“What this coursework did for my company was incredible,” she shared. “It equipped us with the skill set to actually build and grow a viable business. It gave us the motivation and the passion, the excitement to really pursue a dream that we had had for a long time.”
She especially loved the session on creating a pitch deck. “Having an idea in your mind is different than putting it out into the world,” she said. “Every instructor brought unique perspectives and skill sets that we all benefited from.”
What struck her more than the content was the warm learning environment. “It was a welcoming environment. It was not intimidating whatsoever. There was no judgment. It was very positive and forward focused.”
And then came her closing remark, a line that has stayed with the entire team and continues to guide what custom programs can make possible:
“I’m just so incredibly grateful to the City of Coachella for investing in this program and investing in the community in this way because the truth is that once a person receives education, nothing can take that away.”
That belief — that education produces strength no circumstance can erase — became the heartbeat of the program.
Why the Custom Education Programs Model Works
This wasn’t a one-size-fits-all series of courses. It was customized for the community, built with local voices, and delivered with attention to accessibility, mentorship, and lived experience.
“UCR University Extension strives to meet students where they are and with skills and knowledge that they see as applicable to their career development,” Dayton explained. “We provide high-quality education and training, but most importantly, provide these skills and tools to people in ways that they can quickly and easily utilize for their own growth. In the Coachella Valley, this is an important aspect of our role and mission, and I look forward to strengthening our effort from this foundation.”
In the Coachella Valley, that approach matters. It recognizes the realities residents face — work commitments, family responsibilities, language access, transportation needs — and designs learning that fits real life.
Looking Ahead: A Blueprint for What’s Possible Across the Inland Empire
Dayton sees this partnership as a model worth replicating.
“Identifying funding sources and ensuring that training and education is accessible and in line with residents’ needs are the key factors,” he said. “The collaboration between UCRX, the City of Coachella, and The Caravanserai Project is an important model for how institutional partnerships reach the people of the region where they are. Future projects will need similar cooperative models to engage and support residents.”
In other words, this is only the beginning.
With the right partners, the right funding, and the right intention, other cities, districts, tribes, nonprofits, and employers can create pathways just like this: programs designed for their workforce, their industries, and their community’s goals.
Coachella proved what can happen when a city invests in its people with education that is immediate, practical, and human-centered.
Ready to Build a Custom Professional Training Program?
UCR University Extension specializes in custom, scalable workforce programs built for:
- Dynamic organizations like Ontario International Airport
- Cities and counties
- Nonprofit organizations
- Start-ups
- Regional initiatives
- Economic and workforce development agencies
If your organization wants to expand opportunity, close skill gaps, train your workforce, or remove barriers to career mobility, we can help you design a program tailored to your community’s needs.
Education stays with people for life. Your community’s growth can start here and compound for generations, just like Coachella’s will.
Reach out to explore a custom workforce training partnership with UCR University Extension.