Mobile Technology Lab

The Southern University Center for Rural and Small Business Development (CRSBD) has acquired an E-Learning Mobile Rural Training and Development Center to further provide outreach to underserved parishes within the state of Louisiana.
                                                
The mobile unit allows the CRSBD to bring business support and technical assistance to under-privileged communities by introducing new awareness to impart invaluable financial literacy and small business development training to budding entrepreneurs.

The unit is equipped with ten computer workstations and can travel to any community or location to perform onsite computer or educational training.

This allows many rural working families the opportunity to gain the knowledge, skills and resources needed to successfully develop assets, improve their quality of life and aid the state of Louisiana in making strides toward economic parity.

The CRSBD staff provides management and technical assistance to foster business development and create sustainable economic development in over thirty rural Louisiana parishes.

During site visits, the mobile unit can conduct trainings on the topics of:

• How to start and/or expand a business
• Marketing a business
• Accounting issues
• Developing a business plan
• QuickBooks
• Finding access to capital
• Business sustainability
• Branding
• The legal aspects of starting a business
• Cash flow management
• Loan packaging
• Using a computer
• Daily life
• LEAP preparation
• Youth entrepreneurship
• Other topics applicable to entrepreneurs

The mobile unit visits will be for the day, however, if there is a need for additional training in the community arrangements will be made for additional visits.

The E-Learning Rural Training and Development Center seeks to:

• Increase the knowledge base of participants through our educational and technical assistance efforts
• Form and expand more businesses
• Introduce additional tools and resources to participants and communities
• Promote the retention of  young people in the affected parishes because of increased opportunities
• Improve the quality of life for the targeted communities
• Educate the workforce

To schedule a site visit, contact LaKeeshia Giddens, Program Director, at 225.771.2160.