Workforce Readiness

Janet Ware | 10/1/2007

Research Rules:

In 2006, research spending at 13 Florida universities rose $36.5 million from the previous year to reach a total of more than $1.6 billion.

• According to a survey by Florida State University, Florida researchers were issued 156 U.S. patents in 2006 compared to 132 in 2005, and the number of licenses generating revenue for Florida universities increased to 337 from 321 a year ago. At $47 million, the total licensing income for Florida universities in 2006 was up more than $3.7 million from 2005.
• Participating in the 2006 survey were 10 Florida public universities, and the private University of Miami, Nova Southeastern University and Florida Institute of Technology.

Prepping for on-the-job success

Florida’s new Ready to Work Credential program can help take the guesswork out of hiring. Here’s how:

Students or other job seekers sign up for the program at a designated assessment center, then complete a series of self-paced tutorials/assessments in three key Ready to Work areas — Reading for Information, Applied Mathematics and Locating Information. Each assessment is scored on a scale from 3 to 7; the higher the score, the greater the applicant’s ability to perform more complex skills. The Ready to Work Credential is awarded at one of three levels — Bronze, Silver or Gold — depending on individual scores in each key area.

A work-readiness component, which measures such personal qualities as dependability, assertiveness, self-management and honesty/integrity, and interpersonal skills such as communications, customer service, teamwork and leadership, also is available.

Since Florida’s Ready to Work Credential program is administered by the Florida Department of Education and funded by the Florida Legislature, there’s no cost to students, employers, schools or other partners. But the value is huge. Employers can be assured that the applicants who arrive with a Florida Ready to Work credential in hand have the skills necessary for successful on-the-job performance.

Tags: North Central, Education, Business Florida