The campus site offers immediate access to training facilities, educational resources and training personnel. In addition, the ASCC Mapusaga campus lies adjacent to the main federal highway corridor route (route 001) in the territory. The campus is located within the Tualauta County.
The Tualauta County is the fastest growing county in the territory in terms of business development, population and residential construction. Several government services are located in the county including the industrial park, international airport, public works maintenance facilities and the main sports complex. The county has the largest concentration of private businesses in the territory that includes three (3) shopping malls (including the new Laufou Center) and the only warehouse-shopping outlet.
The lead center is also central to the largest area of arable land (with slopes of less than 15%) in the territory known as the Tafuna Leone Plain. Over 65% of all arable land in the territory lies within this plain.
To enhance public access and to extend out-reach of SBDC services within the designated service area; the service area is divided into seven (7) service districts. The American Samoa SBDC will provide basic services to businesses in each district at satellite centers in CY 2004 and CY 2005. Satellite centers are primarily conference/classroom facilities and communication equipment shared/provided by SBDC partners for delivery of modular business training curricula and business workshops within an SBDC district.
Satellite centers will also serve as business-counseling venues for scheduled one-to-one counseling sessions. Clients may have access to e-mail and internet services through satellite centers during periods predetermined and announced by the SBDC host partner agency. SBDC activities in shared facilities will be scheduled and advertised in advance to avoid conflict with partner agency activities.
SBDC facilities in the Manu’a Islands were phased in during years 2 and 3 of the project. The SBDC facilities in the Manu’a Islands are identified as extension centers and provide the same basic services as SBDC satellite centers; however, they are supported by part-time ASCC Land Grant staff trained in distance learning with access to videoconference equipment under the supervision of the SBDC program director.
Facilities and support for satellite and extension centers will be arranged through partnership agreements with the appropriate service provider, local business and government agency operating within the SBDC district.
To facilitate program delivery to service districts, the SBDC entered into a partnership agreement with the ASG Department of Education for use of classroom facilities. The SBDC through ASCC has entered into a partnership agreement with the DELTA Consortium, linking the SBDC to the fiber optic backbone for internet and VTC communications via PEACESAT.
The SBDC will further capitalize on this subsidized communication system for education during years 7 and 8 to bring in off-island business services/workshops through teleconferencing, internet access and e-mail communications. Both local and off-island services will extend directly to the SBDC extension and satellite centers in the districts that are also linked to the DELTA network.
The SBDC program director will prepare an annual report, CY 2007, endorsed by the state SBDC Advisory Board, on the SBDC extension and satellite centers and locations. The report will assess each center for:
- Participation levels
- Partnership support services
- Facility conditions
- Public access
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