Florida Workforce Needs Study 2.0 – Registration Open for Regional Employer Focus Groups

By: Dave Sobush, CEcD, Director of Research, Florida Chamber Foundation

For every 100 open jobs in Florida, we only have 70 people looking for work. It is vital we match skill sets to job requirements.

As mentioned in last month’s FL 2030 Benchmarks, the Florida Chamber Foundation is currently diving deeper into the research for the Florida Workforce Needs Study 2.0.  This 24-month research project will provide insight into how Florida businesses and educational institutions can partner to advance the hard and soft skills needed to narrow Florida’s workforce skills gaps and improve our talent pipeline.

We are happy to announce that registration is now open for several employer focus groups across Florida. These employer-only listening sessions will convene around skills-based employment needs that previous research identified to have a key role in Florida’s continued economic growth and development:

• • Manufacturing/Construction/Skilled Trades
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Professional Services/Business and Finance

If you employ workers within these occupational skill groups, we encourage you to click on your region below to register and help build Florida’s best workforce:

• • March 28 – NW Florida (Pensacola)
  • March 29 – NE Florida (Jacksonville)
  • March 30 – Capital Region (Tallahassee)
  • March 31 – North Central Florida (Ocala)
  • April 3 – Tampa Bay (St. Petersburg)
  • April 4 – SW Florida (Ft. Myers)
  • April 6 – Central Florida (Heathrow)

The research objectives of these focus groups are to:

• • Gain insight regarding current and emerging skills needs,
  • Catalogue best practices in employer-educator partnerships, and
  • Identify ways to maximize utilization of training support initiatives

Notably, each session will include significant time devoted to introducing employers to the work of the Credential Review Committee, to include an overview of the Framework of Quality, review and feedback on the Master Credentials List, and identifying preferred methods of employer engagement moving forward.

All learnings will inform strategies and policy recommendations as part of the final report of research findings, to be released in late 2023.

To learn more about these upcoming focus groups, please connect with me directly at dsobush@flchamber.com.