Partnering with Orange County Business Council, UCI Beall Applied Innovation, Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce and the City of Irvine, Octane is hosting Innovation Week anchored by the organization’s annual Tech Innovation Forum on May 9-11, 2023 in Irvine. The three-day event focuses on networking and collaboration by providing a platform for entrepreneurs, investors, service providers to connect and share ideas. Featuring fast pitches, panels, keynotes and a range of networking, the event promises to showcase the best of Orange County’s innovation ecosystem. Tickets are required.

The World Affairs Council of Orange County, a non-partisan non-profit organization, is hosting “The Powerhouse of Europe: Germany’s Renewed Political and Global Economic Influence” on Tuesday, April 11 in Costa Mesa. The program will feature former U.S. Ambassador to Germany (2017-2021) and current Vice-Chair of the Capital Group, Inc., John B. Emerson. Amb. Emerson will be discussing Germany’s growing influence in Europe and around the world, particularly in the economic sense. Moderating the discussion will be Jerry Braakman, CIO of First American Trust, an OCBC investor. Tickets and registration are required.

Irvine Valley College has appointed Martha Payán-Hernández as the new Director of Economic and Workforce Development. In her role, Payán-Hernández will serve as the college’s primary external workforce and training representative to regional agencies, consortia, partnerships, and workforce groups. Additionally, she will serve as a resource to faculty to help them understand labor market trends, support marketing of specific business sectors and identify future Career and Technical Education (CTE) opportunities for all adult learners.

Concordia University Irvine has expanded its campus with the purchase of a three-story building that will be home to the university’s growing Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program, as well as other academic programs. Located in a biotech and healthcare hub in the city of Irvine, the Spectrum Campus will feature nursing teaching space, classrooms, offices and workstations for nursing students beginning this fall. The building enables the private Christian university to maximize the use of its original 72-acre Turtle Rock campus to meet the workforce development needs of the region.

Farmers & Merchants Bank (F&M Bank) is launching its 2023 Small Business Financial Empowerment “Lunch & Learn” webinar series March 22. The free five-part series addresses business banking needs including business entity structures, proper business documentation, bookkeeping options, financial and profit and loss statements, and HR records and services. Registration is required.

To fill the 750,000+ unfilled cybersecurity jobs across the country—of which more than 80,000 are in California—Orange County high school students are being prepared for the workforce through cybersecurity training offered by the Central Orange County Career Technical Education Partnership (CTEp). Over 15,500 high school students enrolled in a partnership with CyberForward are learning to interact with experts in the field, engaging in an immersive and hands-on learning cybersecurity experience, and participating in internships. For information on how employers can provide learning opportunities for these students, visit HERE.

Women make up only 14% of the U.S. cybersecurity workforce and only 1% of the field’s senior leadership roles. To address this, Coastline College in Fountain Valley has been supporting the work of cybersecurity professor Tobi West and her annual CyberTech Girls workshops. This year’s Valentine’s Day-themed event included webinars, a presentation by a female FBI digital forensics agent, mentors from across the region and a hands-on workshop in which students used an Adafruit Circuit Playground kit to turn an ordinary heart-shaped candy box into a blinged-out LED light show. To learn how Orange County’s community colleges are helping to build a future cybersecurity workforce and how local employers can provide learning opportunities, read HERE.

8 a.m. - 9 a.m.

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8 a.m. - 9 a.m.

Email Emily Jackson for registration details.

9:30 a.m. - 11 a.m.

Email Connor Medina for registration details.

8 a.m. - 9 a.m.

Email Emily Jackson for registration details.

8 a.m. - 9 a.m.

Email Emily Jackson for registration details.

8 a.m. - 9 a.m.

Email Emily Jackson for registration details.