Workforce Florida President's Report: July 2009

President's Report

JULY 2009
Distributed August 4, 2009

Governor Holds Roundtables on Employ Florida Banner Center Sectors
Governor Crist recently held a Roundtable on Florida's Digital Media Industry -- co-hosted by Workforce Florida, Inc. -- at the Employ Florida Banner Center for Digital Media, located at Seminole Community College's Center for Economic Development at Heathrow. As part of the Governor's daylong focus on digital media, he also toured Electronic Arts Tiburon -- a representative of which helped Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp launch the Banner Center a year ago -- and the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy.

I was delighted to join the panel that included digital media executives, educators and Banner Center trainees for this dynamic discussion. It was a wonderful opportunity to talk to the Governor about the contributions of the digital media industry to innovation in Florida, the talent base and the growing number of digital media businesses in the state. The audience was filled with Banner Center supporters, including Workforce Florida Board members Randy Berridge and Al Stimac.

With the first center designated in 2006, Banner Centers already have drawn national recognition for their innovative approach to workforce development. Designed to serve as statewide, go-to resources for cutting-edge training in high-value sectors, Banner Centers unite industry, education, economic development and workforce to identify training needs and create new curricula aimed at improving the skills of entry-level and experienced workers. A key objective is to create timely and relevant training that can be shared statewide for access by businesses, without duplication. Governor Crist continues to be a strong supporter of Banner Centers. The Governor has made bolstering sectors -- such as digital media, biotechnology and alternative energy -- that hold high economic promise for the state economy and offer Floridians high-skills, high-wage career opportunities a top priority.

This month, Governor Crist also held roundtables on biotechnology and alternative energy. Employ Florida Banner Center for Biotechnology Director Richard Snyder and Employ Florida Banner Center for Alternative Energy Director David Block joined the dialogues.

Florida has become one of the fastest growing states in the life sciences industry and is among the top 10 United States biotech centers according to Ernst & Young. In addition, Florida's solar industry, the Banner Center for Alternative Energy's primary area of focus, is projected to generate 51,000 direct jobs and produce revenue of $12.6 billion, according to an industry need assessment commissioned by the Banner Center.

As Employ Florida Banner Centers continue to raise the bar for providing industry-led, statewide resources for workforce education and training, they connect and shore up industry and educational support for growing the talent that these and other targeted sectors need to thrive in the Sunshine State.

STEM Council Interest Remains High
Given the great interest and response we have experienced resulting from the announcement of the joint collaboration between Workforce Florida and Enterprise Florida to create a Florida STEM Council, I wanted to share news about an exciting next step. Earlier this month, Workforce Florida began accepting Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for the STEM Council initiative. The STEM Council's purpose will be strengthening Florida students' Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) skills as a way to prepare them for careers that are expected to experience high growth in coming years and to address businesses' need for workers with strong foundations in these areas. STEM Council proposals are due August 17. Once the grant is awarded, a STEM Council Coordinator will be designated to manage council development and implementation. In addition, key partners soon will create a Memorandum of Understanding to more clearly delineate the specific roles and responsibilities of all entities involved.

Green Jobs Report Well Received by Florida Energy and Climate Commission
Sustainability and Infrastructure Committee Chair Lila Jaber presented Defining Green Jobs for Florida to the Florida Energy and Climate Commission (FECC) on July 22. FECC Commissioners responded positively to the report and validated the important role the definition could play in Florida's ability to contend for its share of $500 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds set aside for green-job training. In addition, the presentation was highlighted in state media coverage.

Governance

Two New Members Appointed to Workforce Florida Board
Thanks to appointments by Florida House Speaker Larry Cretul, the Workforce Florida Board of Directors welcomes two new members: Reps. H. Marlene O'Toole and Stephen L. Precourt.

Representative O'Toole was elected to the House in 2008 and is a member of the House Economic Development Policy, Energy and Utilities Policy, Joint Administrative Procedures, State Universities and Private Universities Appropriations and State Universities and Private Colleges Policy committees.

Representative Precourt was elected to the House in 2006 and re-elected in 2008. He is Chair of the House State Universities and Private Colleges Policy Committee and Vice Chair of the House State Universities and Private Colleges Appropriations Committee. He also is a member of the House Economic Development Policy, Education Policy and Energy and Utilities Policy committees and the Full Appropriations Council on Education and Economic Development.

Workforce Florida is fortunate and honored to have the opportunity to work directly with these state representatives -- especially in the wake of a challenging state economy -- to achieve our mission of helping Floridians enter, remain and advance in the workforce while strengthening the state's business climate. These appointments reinforce Speaker Cretul's commitment to fostering a bright economic future for the people and businesses of Florida.

Technology

Upgrades to EmployFlorida.com Complete
The Employ Florida Marketplace recently launched a major upgrade, EFM 10.0. This set of more than 300 system enhancements couldn't be timelier as the workforce system is focused on using all of its resources to support its No. 1 priority: getting Floridians back to work and helping employed Floridians grow within their professions.

Already the most comprehensive job matching Web site available to employers and job seekers in Florida, EmployFlorida.com now is equipped to better facilitate job-matching between employers and job seekers, making their searches easier and more productive. With the latest improvements, among other things, EmployFlorida.com can:

Notify employers when qualified candidates register on EmployFlorida.com, and send text messages to job seekers when jobs they qualify for are posted.

Show supply and demand for specific skills in comparison to available jobs. In other words, it can help job seekers learn how much of a need there is among listed jobs for the skills they have, and, on the other hand, can help employers see how much availability there is among registered job seekers for the skill sets they are seeking.

Enable employers to identify available positions as green jobs and/or newly created positions resulting from federal stimulus -- American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- funds.

Especially in these tough economic times, we are working to direct as many tools and resources as possible to assist businesses with finding the talent they need, and to help Floridians find jobs that will allow them to contribute to and benefit from our economic recovery.

Right now, employers have access to more than 4 million job seekers on EmployFlorida.com as well as over 190,000 active resumes posted on the site for people seeking entry-level to executive jobs in Florida.

Accolade

Florida Ranked Among Top Three States for Workforce
For the second year in a row, Florida has ranked among the top three states for workforce in CNBC's Top States for Business.

The workforce rankings are part of CNBC's annual study and are based on several indicators, including the education level of the workforce, the number of available workers, union membership and the relative success of each state's worker training programs in placing participants in jobs. Florida ranked No. 3 in the 2009 study behind Georgia (No. 1) and North Carolina (No. 2). In 2008, Florida was ranked No. 1.

Workforce is one of 10 different categories in which CNBC's Top States for Business ranks all 50 states. It is used, along with the remaining nine categories -- cost of doing business, quality of life, economy, transportation, technology & innovation, education, business friendliness, access to capital and cost of living -- to measure each state's ability to attract businesses. Florida ranked No. 28 overall, dropping from No. 17 a year ago.