Drew Wilson
The Florida Chamber of Commerce says workers will need to learn new skill for the state to remain competitive with the rest of the country.
A new report from the pro-business group delves into how Florida’s educational system can adapt over the next decade to meet the rapidly changing needs of employers — 92% tell the Chamber they’re ready to hire but nearly as many say they’re concerned about the lack of employability skills in Florida’s workforce.
Florida Workforce 2030 was crafted after a series of industry leader roundtables, surveys and research.
“To build America’s best workforce in Florida, we must prepare students for global competition. That means better aligning programs and standards with future job demands, training and attracting the best and brightest for advancement and new careers, and increasing economic prosperity for all Floridians — starting with our youngest learners,” Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson said.
The findings show that five of Florida’s targeted growth sectors — Aviation and Aerospace, Financial and Professional Services, Healthcare and Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Trade and Logistics — will require talent that embraces technological advancements, artificial intelligence, automation and innovation.
One key to prepping the workforce: enticing high school students to work toward industry-recognized certifications that enable them to start earning a paycheck as soon as they receive their diploma.
The Florida Chamber has also called for more employers to offer apprenticeships. Last year, during its Learners to Earners Workforce Summit, the organization focused on how apprenticeship programs have helped businesses retain workers and save money while at the same time providing employees with valuable, transferable skills.
The new report also recommends retooling the educational system to start prepping students for their future careers as early as middle school; identifying strategies that address equity gaps to ensure upward mobility opportunities for all Floridians; investing in proven, scalable training programs for adults already in the workforce; and take a data-driven approach to inform policy and best practices with metrics that measure education attainment, employment, earnings, future population and workforce needs.
The Chamber said the Florida Workforce 2030 report was delivered to Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, Senate President Bill Galvano, House Speaker Jose Oliva, and members of the Florida Talent Development Council.
Corcoran was quick to praise the research effort.
“I applaud the Florida Chamber’s focus on workforce education and supporting Governor DeSantis’s goal of becoming the number one state in the nation for workforce education by 2030,” he said.
“With Florida’s population growing to more than 26 million by 2030, it is imperative that we focus on building a talented and highly skilled workforce to fill the jobs of the future. I look forward to working with the Governor, Legislature and Chamber to ensure that goal.”
