CareerEdge Partners with Employers to Pilot Express Training Programs

CareerEdge Partners with Employers to Pilot Express Training Programs

CareerEdge has piloted a unique model in partnership with employers, post-secondary institutions, and community-based organizations to provide short-term training programs in high demand skilled trade occupations. Given the tight labor market, employers are desperate for talent and willing to help develop workers with on-the-job training, mentorships, and apprenticeships in order to close skills gaps. At the same time, under-employed local community members are eager to learn a trade and earn credentials which will allow them the opportunity to enter a career pathway with family-sustaining wages. Companies cannot wait months or years for trained talent, and individuals cannot afford to attend costly long-term post-secondary programs while trying to support themselves and often family members.

Demand for Middle-Skill Jobs

National Skills Coalition

CareerEdge recently concept-tested this “Express Program” model in the Trades Sector to provide foundational training with industryrecognized credentials, as well as soft skills training and financial education through CareerEdge’s successful Bridges to Careers curriculum. As part of the Express Program, employers offer ongoing work-based learning opportunities to further develop the graduates.

CareerEdge Collaborative Funders

Technical fast-track programs piloted include those in Electrical, Plumbing, Broadband, and Automotive Technicians. Graduates of the Express Programs are placed directly with employers in full-time paid positions with benefits. While some participants will enter formal apprenticeship or mentorship programs, others will begin as interns in CareerEdge’s Internship Reimbursement program which incentivizes employers with up to $1,000 in reimbursement funds.

Major goals of this project include minimizing industry skill gaps and assisting regional employers to meet their workforce needs, while also helping unemployed, low-wage and low-skill workers earn industry certifications and obtain employment at livable and competitive wages. This win-win strategy facilitates growth in our regional economy by meeting the supply-and-demand side of the workforce needs. According to the National Skills Coalition, these ‘Middle Skill’ jobs (those requiring more than a high school diploma, but less than a college degree) account for the majority of Florida’s current labor market, with the projected demand to remain high.

CareerEdge Collaborative Funders

The first step in the development of the Express Trainings is to begin with the employers. Without their involvement in the curricula design and program structure, there would not be quality jobs available for individuals to enter. Proactive participation from the onset has been the key success factor for CareerEdge in the past. The program requires a strong commitment by employers to delineate the skills needed and to develop graduates once they have completed the foundational skills training.

As an example, CareerEdge worked with Gettel Automotive and industry consultant Rick Bond to develop an express Lube Technician program at Suncoast Technical College, which has now expanded to include eight local dealerships as a third cohort of students is set to graduate at the end of the month. CareerEdge began the automotive program by hosting a roundtable of industry representatives and developed a plan based on their input. Gulf Coast Community Foundation donor Walt Eppard also was instrumental in helping this program to launch.

Express Lube Technician Program

CareerEdge Collaborative Funders

Currently, CareerEdge is partnering with Manatee Technical College and local HVAC (Heating & Air Conditioning) employers to develop a fast-track HVAC Installer program to train individuals for this high-demand occupation. CareerEdge will continue to work directly with employers to find solutions to their talent needs, and to encourage them to be active participants in the workforce development process.

For more information, go to www.careeredgefunders.org.