Today, Gov. Ron DeSantis awarded more than $2.7 million to help 28 school districts and state colleges purchase industry-standard equipment for career and technical education (CTE) programs across Florida. The Escambia County School District will receive $30,000 for introduction to fire fighting.
“Under Gov. DeSantis’ leadership, we have not only helped hurricane-impacted districts accelerate reopening schools safely but also have remained committed to providing our students and faculty with the resources they need to be successful,” said Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. “These investments set our students up for career success while nearly guaranteeing Florida’s most vital occupations have the talent they need.”
“Guaranteeing our students are trained on the latest, most technologically advanced equipment, is an absolute necessity for our progress toward becoming number one in the nation in workforce education,” said Dr. Henry Mack, Senior Chancellor at the Department of Education. “High paying, high skilled jobs await our students, and thanks to these funds, colleges and districts are better resourced to train for the future of work, today.”
Governor DeSantis set a goal to make Florida the number one state in the nation for workforce education by 2030. CTE programs are a major component of workforce education and are responsible for preparing individuals for occupations important to Florida’s economic development. These programs are organized into 17 different career clusters and are geared toward middle school, high school, district technical school, and Florida College System students throughout the state.
Today’s awards are authorized under the Perkins V Career and Technical Education Equipment Upgrade and Modernization program, which offers secondary and post-secondary agencies the opportunity to more fully develop academic and technical career skills among CTE students. The funding will accelerate economic recovery from Hurricane Ian and ensure that Florida’s businesses will continue to benefit from a highly skilled workforce. Since 2019, Florida has invested more than $5 billion in workforce education initiatives.
