SPECIAL PROJECTS

Ready to Work

implementation of the Florida Ready to Work Program. Ready to Work is an employee credentialing program that tests - and scores - job skills and work habits It helps businesses identify which applicants have the most potential; it gives job seekers proof that they have the skills employers are looking for, and it helps schools and colleges align their curriculum to meet workforce demands. During the year, the Board was involved with outreach activities and began administering the placement tests, assessments, and courseware for remediation. Furthermore, one staff member was trained and certified to perform job profiles, which researches and defines fundamental skills and skill levels necessary for a specific job/occupation.

Ready to Work

Number of Participants 190 Number of Assessments 575 Number of Business Representatives who Participated in Presentations 142

Florida reBuilds

the State of Florida, both to support our state's continued growth and also to aid in the recovery of our communities from hurricane damage. Florida faces specific difficulties in meeting the demand for workers at all skill levels in the construction industry. As a result the Governor's office established the Florida reBuilds initiative, a program that helps bridge the gap in the construction industry job market and keeps Florida in the economic forefront. Locally the Florida reBuilds program was able to provide short-term entry level and advanced training for new and existing construction industry workers. Valuable training such as boiler operations, pipe fitter training, and OSHA-10 training was delivered to more than 180 participants.

Florida reBuilds

Participants Enrolled 182 Participants who Completed Training 81 Total Participants Placed 106 Total Participants Exited 179

WIRED Partners

Northwest, the regional economic development organization to implementation the U.S. Department of Labor's Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) Initiative. As a result of the collaboration, secondary career institutes focused on the region's targeted industries - construction, information technology, and engineering were implemented in Bay, Franklin, and Gulf County School Districts. IT-CORE was implemented in Franklin County High School and provides opportunities for career and technical training including industry recognized certification such as A+ Certification, CompTIA, i-Net+ Certification, and AutoCAD Certification. Construction Technology Academies were implemented in Haney Technical H igh School and F ranklin County H igh School. construction industry. While in the program students earn a high school diploma along with an industry certification through the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NC- CER). Project Lead the Way is a pre-engineering and science curricula mented at Jinks, Merritt Brown, and Surfside middle schools practical, real world exposure to math, science, and technology and learn teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving in a hands-on, relevant way.

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