The Florida Chamber Foundation is currently conducting its second year of research for the Florida Workforce Needs Study 2.0. This 24-month research project will provide insight into how Florida businesses, workforce partners, and educational institutions can collaborate to advance the hard and soft skills needed to narrow Florida’s workforce skills gaps and improve our talent pipeline.
In late March and early April, Foundation staff, in concert with CareerSource Florida, will convene a series of employer focus groups in geographically and economically representative areas of the state. Employers will convene to take a deeper dive into the skills-based employment needs that previous research identified to have a key role in Florida’s continued economic growth and development:
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- Production/Construction/Skilled Trades
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Professional Services/Business and Finance
Research objectives are to:
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- Gain insight regarding current and emerging skills needs,
- Catalogue best practices in employer-educator partnerships, and
- Identify ways to maximize the utilization of training support initiatives
Notably, each session will include significant time devoted to introducing employers to the work of the Credential Review Committee, including 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 feedback will inform strategies and policy recommendations for the final report of research findings, to be released in late 2023.
To learn how to participate in the upcoming focus groups, please connect with me via email directly at dsobush@flchamber.com.