Florida Commits $25M to Tech Career Education

Florida high school students will have access to career training in cybersecurity, robotics, manufacturing technology and computer programming under a $25 million state expenditure unveiled recently.

The Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive, announced by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Feb. 21, creates or expands career and technical education programs in 15 countywide districts and three colleges across the state, according to a news release.

“In Florida we have become the No. 1 state in the nation for talent development by making strategic investments in our workforce,” DeSantis said in a statement. “We will continue to equip students in our state with the skills they need to succeed without being burdened by debt.”

The incentive is part of a broader $100 million program that also provides $35 million to grow the Sunshine State’s semiconductor industry, according to the release.

Here’s where several districts plan to dedicate funding to technology training:

• Broward County — Semiconductor business management and analysis
• Lee County — Advanced manufacturing technology
• Leon County — Engineering pathways and applied robotics
• Martin County — Applied information technology
• Miami-Dade County — Industrial biotechnology and digital video technology
• St. Johns County — Cybersecurity
• St. Lucie County — Robotics and building construction technologies
• Washington County — Cloud computing and virtualization
  

At Miami Dade College, the grant will fund instructional programs focused on network security, enterprise cloud computing and computer programmer mobile applications development. And at Tallahassee Community College, applied robotics and engineering technology programs will be funded. Many other vocational training programs across the state that do not directly involve emerging technologies will also be covered under the state allocation.

Florida Department of Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. said this statewide initiative puts Florida “at the forefront of innovation.”

“This funding reflects our dedication to equipping students with the skills necessary to excel in an increasingly competitive marketplace,” he said in a public statement.

A longer version of this article originally appeared in Government Technology, a sister publication of Industry Insider — Florida.