|
|
 |
Technical Education |
| Florida's Skilled Labor Crisis |
Florida is one year closer to a crisis -- the state’s
businesses continue to experience a chronic shortage of skilled technical labor.
Demand for skilled technical labor in Florida has skyrocketed over the past few years,
and the state has not been able to grow the skilled labor needed to keep pace.
Florida’s technical education centers are widely regarded by business leaders as the most efficient
engine to produce skilled technical labor – unfortunately, these technical education centers
are woefully under-funded.
The under-funding of Florida’s technical education centers is also
impacting the state’s high school drop-out rate. There are long lines of students waiting for
more classes to be offered, but the technical education centers don’t have enough funding to hire
teachers and buy equipment and supplies. Some of these students are becoming tired of waiting, and
dropping out of high school.
And, in terms of career success, a vocational or technical education
certificate can be more valuable than a bachelor’s degree. Approximately 80% of Florida’s fastest-growing
occupations require postsecondary career and technical education -- not a four-year bachelor’s degree or a
two-year associate’s degree. |
|
