In the Bioctechnology BANNER Center's cleanroom simulator, a trainee is instructed on aseptic techniques that are essential for employment in the biotechnology industry. [Photo: Workforce Florida]

The success of any business — especially in today’s highly competitive, global economy — depends in large part on the caliber of its employees. So when the time comes to make decisions about where to expand or relocate, savvy companies — regardless of size or industry sector — put workforce issues at the top of their priorities.

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Expanding

In 1990, Florida’s labor force numbered around 7 million workers. By 2006, it had grown to nearly 9 million, and it continues to expand with the arrival of approximately 250,000 new workers each year from other states and foreign countries.

Highly qualified

Florida’s labor pool is strong in many sectors, but especially in high-tech industries. According to the AeA Cyberstates 2007 report, Florida’s high-tech industry added 10,900 jobs in 2005, bringing the industry total of high-tech workers to 276,400. Furthermore, Florida ranks as America’s 4th largest and 2nd fastest growing cyberstate by tech industry employment.

Highly skilled

Customized programs and incentives such as Quick Response Training, Incumbent Worker Training and the newly created, industry-specific Employ Florida Banner Centers, help ensure that skilled workers are available to meet the needs of Florida’s leading industries. And site selectors are taking notice. Expansion Management magazine ranked Florida’s workforce training programs among the top three best in the country in 2007.

Well-educated

From Florida’s renowned public and private colleges and universities, community colleges and technical institutions comes a steady stream of job candidates equipped with the knowledge and skills that today’s businesses need most. Florida ranks 11th among all states for the number of workers with advanced degrees and, since 2000, the number of Floridians with associate, baccalaureate or post-graduate degrees has increased at nearly double the national rate.

Culturally diverse

Florida’s workforce gets top marks for both cultural and linguistic diversity. More than 3.2 million Floridians were born outside the United States, and many speak one or more of 90 different languages with particularly strong representation in Spanish, Portuguese and French.

Business-friendly

Florida is one of only 10 states with a constitutionally mandated right-to-work provision. Only 5.4% of Florida’s total workforce is unionized and, at 3.2 %, Florida has the nation’s 3rd lowest unionization rate in the manufacturing sector.

Adding to these workforce-related reasons for choosing Florida is one more: ease of access. Since passage of the Florida Workforce Innovation Act in 2000, all of Florida’s workforce services — state and local — are linked together under the umbrella brand “Employ Florida.”

Enter the system through a regional workforce board, at a local one-stop center or from the computer terminal on your desk and you are connected to a full spectrum of workforce services unlike any other.

One-Stop Centers Your Local Connection The nearly 100 One-Stop Centers throughout the state are the “bricks-and-mortar” entry points to Florida’s comprehensive workforce system. Here, employers and job seekers alike can find answers to their employment questions as well as direct access to a wide array of workforce services — many of which are available free of charge. One-Stop Centers offer: Applicant prescreening and job referrals Recruitment and retention services Employee skills information and services Identification of and access to incentives, such as training grants Labor market analysis and information “Rapid response” services in the event of a ramp-up or reduction in workforce A venue for job fairs and one-on-one interviews

One System, Many Services

Considering that for five straight years Florida has led the nation in job creation and is today ranked 4th among all states for total employment, it should come as no surprise that workforce services here have been fine-tuned and fully coordinated to better serve the needs of employers and employees.

Under the “Employ Florida” umbrella are two partners at the state level: Workforce Florida Inc., which oversees and monitors the administration of the state’s workforce policy, programs and services, and the Agency for Workforce Innovation, which administers workforce funds, houses the Office of Labor Market Statistics and serves as the designated U.S. Census data center for Florida.

At the local level, 24 regional workforce boards with significant business representation have responsibility for implementing workforce programs in their communities, including the oversight of nearly 100 One-Stop Centers across the state, where services are delivered directly to employers and job seekers.

It’s All About Teamwork

Imagine that a workforce system would one day be partnered with business to develop relevant training programs for much-needed industry-specific skills and with educational institutions to deliver them. In Florida, it’s already happening.

At 10 Employ Florida Banner Centers throughout the state, programs that focus on creating and providing up-to-date training for workers in industries that have been deemed critical to sustaining and growing Florida’s diverse economy are up and running. Thanks to the programs offered at these centers, hundreds of new and incumbent workers are acquiring the cutting-edge skills they need and earning industry certifications.

Nine of the 10 Banner Centers are based at Florida community colleges or universities, where educational institutions, industry representatives and workforce and economic development professionals come together for the purpose of providing industry-specific skills training. In addition to serving as clearinghouses for companies that need trained workers, these centers create relevant curricula for training both entry-level and advanced workers and ensure that the skills training offered in Florida meets industry standards.

The 10th Banner Center has a slightly different, albeit complementary, mission. Led by Okaloosa County School District, the Employ Florida Banner Center for Career Academies is charged with providing technical support to school districts in Florida that desire to start new career academies or overhaul existing ones in secondary schools; develop standards and accountability measures for career education programs; and research and highlight best practices in career education in order to help Florida maintain and improve its globally competitive workforce.

The creation of the Banner Center for Career Academies is particularly timely in light of the Florida Career and Professional Act, which was signed into law on July 1, 2007. The act requires all Florida school districts to develop, in collaboration with local workforce boards and postsecondary institutions, strategic five-year plans during the coming school year that include provision for at least one career academy to be operational in each district at the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year. (See article on Education for details.)

As Close As Your Computer EmployFlorida.com serves more than 40,000 online visitors every day. Ready access to Florida’s complete range of state and local workforce services is easier than ever before thanks to the new and improved Employ Florida Marketplace website. Whether you’re seeking a job, screening resumes for potential job candidates or looking for local labor market figures and links to the nearest regional workforce board, you’ll find what you need at the click of a mouse. In addition to the more than 13,000 Florida job openings directly placed on the site by employers or one-stop centers, another 275,000 Florida listings are regularly picked up from corporate, public and private websites and displayed using powerful “spider” technology. And new quick search features make it easy for job seekers to zero in on specific geographic areas and for employers to sort resumes and rank applicants by job skills and actual experience. There’s even an integrated tool for help with creating resumes, and detailed labor force and salary statistics for quick county-by-county comparisons. The Employ Florida Marketplace is easy-to-use, open 24/7 and, best of all, available at no charge to employers and job seekers.

TRAINING PROGRAMS

Workforce Florida offers two employer-specific, customized training programs for convenience and cost-effectiveness. Find one that is tailor-made to suit you:

Quick Response Training (QRT)

QRT is a flexible and customized program designed to help meet the specific training needs of both new and expanding businesses. A local training provider — community college, technical center or university — assists with application and program development or delivery. Or, in cases where a training program is already in place, the local provider will supervise and manage the existing program and serve as fiscal agent for the grant funds.

Incumbent Worker Training (IWT)

IWT is a customer-driven program designed to retain existing businesses and keep Florida’s workforce competitive in a global economy. IWT is available to all Florida businesses (for-profit) that have been in operation for at least one year prior to application and require skills upgrade training for their existing full-time employees.

In addition, most of the state’s 24 regional workforce boards award grants to businesses in their communities to improve the skills of their employees through Employer Worker Training (EWT) programs.

Since 2000, QRT, IWT and EWT programs have awarded a combined $85 million to train more than 158,000 workers throughout the state of Florida.