It’s halfway through the program year, and by many accounts CareerSource Central Florida (CSCF) is trending well in meeting the Board’s priorities. In fact, by the end of the second quarter, CSCF has invested slightly more than 50% of the $10.3M funds earmarked for training programs. Although the bulk of these investments fell within the healthcare sector, CSCF is ramping up spending in the most strategic manner possible, for each of the other five sectors to meet year-end goals.
Partnerships Key
By collaborating with educational institutions such as Valencia College, Seminole State College and Lake Technical College, to name a few, CSCF offers more than 25 training programs that meet evolving workforce demands. In fact, at the mid-year mark, more than 1,350 individuals have been trained – nearly 70% of the annual goal.
In addition to partnering with premier education providers, anticipating the community’s workforce demands is also critical, especially for the construction industry, which is starved for talent. Although filling construction careers is still a struggle, the healthcare industry is booming.
In early December, the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration approved construction for three new hospitals in Central Florida. The addition of these hospitals will not only create job openings within healthcare, but bring a greater need for local construction talent to build the spaces.
CSCF has answered the call for careers in healthcare, enrolling more than 600 career seekers into a healthcare training program in the first six months – surpassing the Q2 goal of 285 individuals.
However, challenges continue in attracting talent for construction and hospitality – most especially culinary positions. The other three sectors: advanced manufacturing, IT/finance, and trade & logistics are faring well mid-year.
Training Drives Talent Development
Another opportunity is minimizing the time it takes once a career seeker has completed training to when they enter employment. To tackle this challenge, CSCF understands that creating stronger relationships with career seekers throughout their entire career journeys will aid in closing the gap.
In spite of this, CSCF is excelling in placing trained individuals – 340 career seekers – into sustainable employment at an average wage of $14 per hour or more.
Sectors leading the way with higher wages include IT/finance (an average wage of $19.50/hr.) and trade/logistics/utilities (an average wage of $16/hr.).
Business Demand
This success is a result of expanding CSCF’s business clients and working with them to create enhanced opportunities for career seekers. At the end of Q2, CSCF has served more than 1,600 businesses – more than 25% are new customers.
The majority of these businesses are in healthcare (34%) and IT/finance (17%). This mix reflects the momentum CSCF has gained since it exceeded the quarterly training placement goals for these two sectors.
For more information about the board’s priorities, click here to view CSCF’s Q2 Scorecard.
