Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the Florida Talent Development Council has submitted their strategic plan to improve education and training attainment by Floridians and to align the programs and credentials offered in Florida with the needs of employers.

“I would like to thank Mr. Schleicher and the members of the Florida Talent Development Council for their service and commitment to the development of Florida’s workforce,” said Governor DeSantis. “Ensuring that Floridians are prepared for the jobs in the 21^st century is critical to the future success of our great state.”

The 16-member council, composed of legislative, business, workforce development and postsecondary education leaders, was tasked to develop a coordinated, data-driven, statewide approach to meeting Florida’s needs for a 21st century workforce that employers and educators use as part of Florida’s talent supply system.

“The Florida Talent Development Council thanks Governor DeSantis and the Legislature for their foresight in creating the FTDC and entrusting us with the enormous opportunity to impact the future lives of all students and working Floridians — a role we do not take lightly!” said Joel A. Schleicher, Chairman.  “Toward that end I applaud all FTDC Members and work groups for their candid and reflective discussions, input and strategic plan recommendations put forth. In 2020 and beyond, we will seek constructive ways to bring together students, employees, employers, K-12 and postsecondary educational institutions, along with government to match Florida’s diverse and growing employment base with changing educational and training needs.”

The Council began meeting in October 2019 to develop the framework to align programs and credentials with the needs of employers, while identifying ways to increase education and training attainment throughout the state. Five strategic priorities were identified to begin the framework for the strategic plan, including Policy and System Alignment, Workforce Readiness, Cross-Sector Collaboration and Engagement, Data and Accountability and Equity and Access.

Council members, stakeholders and partner organizations met in workgroups to discuss each strategic priority. Each workgroup drafted goals and strategy recommendations that were submitted to and discussed by the entire Council.  The Florida Talent Development Council’s Strategic Plan is the culmination of the hard work of Florida’s education, workforce and industry sectors.

The Council, administered by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, will continue to meet in 2020 to implement the strategies identified in the strategic plan and to make progress towards the Strengthening Alignment between Industry and Learning (SAIL) initiative. SAIL to 60 strives to have 60 percent of working-age adults (ages 25-64) in Florida with a high-value postsecondary certificate degree, credential or training experience by 2030.

“It is exciting to see education, business and workforce development professionals from across the state come together to create a proactive strategy for the development of Florida’s future workforce,” said Ken Lawson, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. “I am grateful that Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature had the forethought to bring us together and I look forward to implementing the strategies outlined in our plan.”

For more information and to view the strategic plan, visit FloridaJobs.org/TalentDevelopmentCouncil.

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