BIMONTHLY NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2021 EDITION 3
A bimonthly newsletter highlighting the transformative power of Florida’s CTAE programs.
WELCOME letter In Florida, we turn challenges into opportunities. Two years ago, I challenged the Florida House of Representatives to completely blow up Florida’s fragmented, one-size-fits-all workforce system. It didn’t serve our job seekers, our students or our employers. It needed a complete teardown and to start anew with a clean slate. Today, Florida moves to lead the nation with an integrated workforce with transformative legislation signed into law through HB 1507. Where in the past, siloed agencies didn’t communicate, we’ve increased collaboration through the REACH Office and created a “no-wrong-door” strategy, where Floridians can access services from any workforce partner. We directly invested $52 million to support jobseekers pursuing high-demand education programs. These bold initiatives will better serve Floridians through increased access to highvalue skills training for in-demand careers and support upward mobility and economic freedom. While the government doesn’t create jobs, these policies will help those ready, willing and able find employment and education opportunities to support themselves and their families. Chris Sprowls Speaker Florida House of Representatives
In our family, my father taught me many lessons, one of which recognized the dignity of a familysustaining career. Work uplifts people, grounding them in purpose. It allows fathers to show sons responsibility, work-ethic and self-confidence. Just as my father taught me, and how I hope to teach my children. Florida families will teach the nation this same lesson. As a state, we will remind our country of the value of working to provide for the individual and their family. Through an improved workforce system, Floridians have access to career pathways in our growing industries of Aviation and Aerospace; Healthcare and Life Sciences; Manufacturing; Logistics and Distribution; Information Technology; and Professional and Financial Services supporting all sectors. Our workforce is the engine for Florida’s continued prosperity. As educators, you all fuel our workforce. You inspire and support our students as they pursue careers aligning their interests to local workforce needs. In turn, creating an industry-driven talent pipeline connecting students to employers. On behalf of the Florida House of Representatives, thank you. Your dedication to student success ensures Florida’s future as a leader in workforce education by 2030. 2
TABLE OF contents 4|
STUDENT SENSATION
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AWARDS & RECOGNITION
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ADULT EDUCATION HIGHLIGHT
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GUESS WHO
COLLEGE HIGHLIGHT
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SOCIAL MEDIA SHOUTOUTS
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TECH SCHOOL HIGHLIGHT
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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ENTREPRENEURSHIP & INTERNSHIP
It’s Never Too Late to Learn a New Skill, Army Veteran Marches on To Career Success
Choosing Triumph Over Trials and Tribulations—Meet John 2021 ACE Exemplary Student
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Florida’s First Chapter of FAME Launches at Daytona State College
Dynamic Drivers: Sheridan Technical College’s Simulators Offer Intuitive Training
Tally Mac Shack Pact: A Work-Based Learning Partnership with Leon High School’s Culinary Program
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Frankie Latchman, IRSC graduate and employee. Photo by Molly Bartels. Courtesy of Indian River State College.
STUDENt sensation Army veteran Frankie Latchman marched down several career paths throughout his life. Frankie is a jack-of-all-trades with automotive, electrical and plumbing skills. It wasn’t until a humid and hot Florida day when Frankie realized he had a new technical interest—Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC).
It’s Never Too Late to Learn a New Skill, Army Veteran Marches on To Career Success Submitted by Suzanne Seldes, Indian River State College
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After frustrations and first-hand two children. experience in the need and demand of HVAC, he decided to research the He wants his children to problem and repair the unit himself. know that “it is never too He enjoyed the gratification and enrolled in HVAC classes at Indian late to learn a new skill.” River State College (IRSC). IRSC is located in Ft. Pierce Fla. IRSC’s A.A.S. in Air Conditioning, Refrigeration and Heating Systems Technology offers comprehensive skills-based training while encouraging management and leadership development. With notable success, CollegeChoice. Net ranks IRSC’s HVAC Technology program #1 in Florida and #6 in the nation, based on academic quality, affordability and return on investment. To learn more, visit irsc.edu.
Frankie’s eagerness to learn made him a natural leader in the classroom where he began to mentor his fellow classmates as a lab assistant. Recognizing his commitment to teamwork and lifelong learning, the IRSC Foundation awarded him a scholarship.
“I’m also grateful to the IRSC Foundation for the scholarship assistance, which helped me purchase my tool kit,” said Frankie. Frankie graduated with his HVAC certification in 2020, and now works at IRSC as an apprentice HVAC Technician. He also manages overall maintenance and HVAC repair for two local assisted living facilities. Frankie is married with
For more information about the Architecture & Construction career cluster, contact David.Mueller@fldoe.org
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John and Octavia celebrate his graduation from Lake Technical College.
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ADULT EDUCATION HIGHLIGHT my family and my community. I wanted to provide for myself. This really drove, and still drives me, to pursue an education. I am grateful for the assistance people have given me, but I want to earn a living for myself, to find self-sufficiency so I enrolled in a GED® class at Lake Technical College.
Choosing Triumph Over Trials & Tribulations— Meet John 2021 ACE Exemplary Student
DCAE Staff: How do you think earning your GED® changed your life? John: That is a very difficult answer to give. Mainly, because there’s so much to say. Obviously, my GED® enables me to move towards the rest of my life. Now I can go to college or get a job. There are things, doors that were barred to me in the past. Now those doors aren’t closed anymore. Without my GED® I wouldn’t even be considered for college or most jobs. Basically, there are certain professions, actually most, that require advanced education with certificates or a degree. You can’t advance towards higher learning without the first step of that high school diploma.
By DCAE Staff
Outside of a local coffee shop, teeming with undercaffeinated, yet highly enthusiastic, attendees of the 2021 Adult Community Education of Florida (ACE) Conference, sits John and his service dog Octavia. John graciously thanks strangers for the recognition as a 2021 ACE Exemplary Student. Meanwhile, Octavia’s rhythmic tail wagging tempts strangers to give her attention, most of us couldn’t restrain ourselves.
“We all face trials and tribulations, but that first step is the most important,” says John.
Stories like John’s motivate us educators throughout our careers—from early and eager teaching days through the compassion fatigue. As we spoke, he reminded us to choose triumph over trial and tribulations. DCAE Staff: Congratulations on your recognition. You received a standing ovation, and reinspired many of those teachers with your life story. Do you mind sharing your story with us?
DCAE Staff: What next steps do you plan to take?
John: Oh, good heavens, what a life it’s been. I was in foster care as a child, or at least since I can remember. Then I was adopted at five, back in foster care at 15. Essentially, agencies and families didn’t want the liability of caring for someone who was blind. With the back and forth in foster care, I wasn’t able to finish high school. After a few years of job searching, without a diploma, I knew I had to go back to school. I wanted to support
John: Immediately after this, I am going to take this harness off of Octavia. She’s a great worker and partner in life, but I think she’s earned some time as our pet. Long term, I’m enrolling in seminary college. I’ll be able to pursue a career where I can take care of my family, my community and myself—triumphing over every obstacle and encouraging others to do the same.
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Partnership matches DSC students with local manufacturers and job opportunities. 8
College highlight Florida’s First Chapter of FAME Launches at Daytona State College
providing access to continued career, personal and professional growth.
Daytona State College launched Florida’s first chapter of the Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME) in a collaborative partnership between Daytona State College and local manufacturers. FAME aims to implement work-based learning education programs designed to create a pipeline of highly skilled workers. Currently, there are 36 chapters in 14 states, and nearly all of them are in conjunction with postsecondary associate degree programs.
Current industry partners participating in the Daytona State College FAME program include:
A group of nine students make up the first cohort at Daytona State College. Each student will work with their paired company sponsor three days a week, alternating between classes at Daytona State College’s Advanced Technology College facility earning at least 24 hours of work-based learning each week.
By DCAE Staff
• • • • • • • • • • •
ABB B. Braun Boston Whaler Dougherty Manufacturing Dynamic Engineering Innovations Everglades Boats Germfree Hudson Technologies Pentair SCCY Firearms Sparton
Daytona State College’s A.S. in Engineering Technology, with a Mechatronics specialization, hosts the FAME program. The FAME program’s industry-driven course offerings set students on a path to earn in-demand credentials and skills. In two years, graduates will earn their A.S. degree Daytona State College will soon start with approximately 1,800 hours of paid on-the-job accepting applications for its second cohort training with their sponsoring company. which will join the program in the fall of
2022.
Completing students will develop a well-rounded skillset in both their technical and professional abilities, earn relevant work experience in their field and often finish with little or no student debt. Additionally, Daytona State aligned the FAME curriculum to an articulation pathway towards a B.S. in Engineering Technology,
For more information about the program, please contact Wendy Samuel, Work Based Learning Advisor, at FAME@DaytonaState.edu. 9
TECH SCHOOL HIGHLIGHT evaluate risk assessment utilizing state-of-theart commercial vehicle driving simulators.
Dynamic Drivers: Sheridan Technical College’s Simulators Offer Intuitive Training
As Floridians, we know that Florida’s tropical weather doesn’t always bring welcome training conditions. In the past, rainy summers halted training for CDL students. Now, with the advent of innovative technologies like simulators, students continue to train for all climate conditions—rain, sleet and snow!
Submitted by Dr. Tammy Clabo, CVD Instructor, Sheridan Technical College
In addition to extreme weather conditions, students further prepare with exposure to mock emergency scenarios. Instructors can create tire blowouts, skidding, jackknifing and other emergencies situations while maintaining the safety of students and the integrity of instruction. These simulated occurrences expose students to crisis management in a safe and constructive environment.
Gone are the days of the lone renegade trucker roaming the barren highway—disconnected from society by 18 wheels and a 13 gearbox. Today’s professional driver needs a technical skillset to master the onboard computers, cameras, autonomous driving features and crash mitigation systems. At Sheridan Technical College, in Hollywood, Fla., students are learning and earning the highvalued credentials to join the open road with a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). Sheridan Technical College’s Commercial Vehicle Driving program trains students for employment as a professional local or over-the-road (OTR) truck driver in 320 hours of instruction. With 1,000 miles of local and highway driving, students gain experience in the fundamentals of commercial driving such as maneuvering, inspection, cargo handling and more. To elevate the program, Sheridan College offers students the unique opportunity to experience extreme weather conditions, emergency situations and
We are embracing technology as a tool to enhance our curriculum. With these simulators our students acquire the skills and confidence they will need as professional drivers. Through these systems, our students are successfully completing their programs faster and safer than ever before. For more information, please contact Dr. Tammy Clabo at Tammy.clabo@browardschools.com.
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Sheridan Technical College’s Commercial Vehicle Driving program gives students the opportunity to earn their Commercial Drivers License (CDL). 11
ENTREPRENEURSHIP & INTERNSHIP students gain a better understanding of basic food handling, food safety, inventory management, teamwork, and other foundational culinary skills.
Tally Mac Shack Pact: A Work-Based Learning Partnership with Leon High School’s Culinary Program
Stribling said, “We learned so much over the past year and a half that has, in turn, helped our students understand how commercial operations are run.” As a career and technical education program, the culinary arts course offerings at Leon High School give students an opportunity to earn high-value skills and credentials recognized by industry leaders such as ProStart and the Florida Restaurant Lodging Association (FRLA). As early as ninth grade, students can earn and stack certifications as a SafeStaff Food Handler, National Registry of Food Safety Professionals (NRFSP) Food Safety Manager and ServSafe Managerial Certificate.
By DCAE Staff
Christine Beam and Karen Stribling, instructors at the Leon High Schools Culinary Arts Career and Technical Education program, are the mac to each other’s cheese. Both come from formal culinary education and training with degrees in Family and Consumer Sciences Education from Florida State University. Together, they have spent the past six years building a network within the Tallahassee community, enhancing the quality of their culinary courses through real-world experience.
Last year, the program certified 31 students in Food Safety Managerial Certifications and over 200 in the SafeStaff certifications.
The program currently partners with Tally Mac Shack, a gourmet mac and cheese concept and local Tallahassee favorite. The collaborations started when Tally Mac Shack founder, Justo Cruzto, was introduced to Beam and Stribling by a former student. Beam and Stribling invited Cruzto to speak to students about entrepreneurship, business management, hospitality and culinary practices. The overwhelming student interest led to a field trip to the restaurant.
Beam stated “Karen and I take pride in arming our students with knowledge that will help them have confidence and creativity in the kitchen, an understanding of where our food comes from, an understanding of the importance of maintaining a safe food service operation and ultimately figure out how culinary arts will play a part in their future.” To learn more about Leon High School’s Culinary Arts Career and Technical Education program, please contact Christine Beam at beamc@leonschools.net and Karen Stribling at striblingk@leonschools.net.
Since the beginning, the culinary program successfully placed nine students in jobs with local restaurants like the Tally Mac Shack, Tally Mac Shack FSU, The Slide Hustle, Vato Tacos and EggCitement, with expansions planned. Cruzto gives students supplemental experience in the restaurant industry. With this experience,
For convention session archives, please visit www.flaffa.org. 12
Photos provided by Karen Stripling
Leon High School students working at Tally Mac Shack. Photos provided by Karen Stripling
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awards & recognition Congratulations to our students, educators and programs recognized across the state. Thank you for representing and promoting CTAE.
Chef Educator of the Year Award Chef Pam Bedford, Director of the Institute of Culinary Arts at Eastside High School, has been named the 2021 Chef Educator of the Year Award, sponsored by the American Culinary Federation.
Miami Dade College #1 in Industry Certifications Miami Dade College (MDC) ranks number one in the Florida College System (FCS) for reporting the most students earning industry certifications during the 2021 state reporting year.
2021 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference Awards We are excited to share the names of Florida students recognized at the national SkillsUSA competition. SkillsUSA Florida is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA is a high impact nonprofit national education association serving about 7,000 active middle-school, high-school and postsecondary students with over 300 chapters statewide. SkillsUSA Florida is committed to preparing students for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations. SkillsUSA Florida is recognized by DCAE as a Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO).
Student
Award
Doug Chancey Katherine Vreman Kendra Feliciano Sofia Tarno Savannah Dawson Blaze Menendez Christina Walden Samantha Lockhart LaTeisha Hughes Diego Hernandez
Silver Silver Silver Silver Silver Bronze Gold Gold Gold Silver
Taylor Sicard
Bronze
Specialty
Barbering Commercial Baking Community Action Project Community Action Project Dental Assisting Diesel Equipment Technology Early Childhood Education Electrical Construction Wiring Esthetics Internet of Things-Smart Home Job Skill Demonstration 14
College
Pinellas Technical Center Manatee Technical College Coral Reef Senior High School Coral Reef Senior High School Charlotte Technical College Orange Technical College Northwest Florida State College Manatee Technical College Pensacola State College Orange Technical College Manatee Technical College
Student
Award
Specialty
College
Emily Attard Hezekiah MithchellMarr Hannah Punongbayan Samantha Quinto Elena Banet Amelia Moore Naomae Harmon Ito Simon Mirleur Polynice
Gold Bronze
Job Skill Demonstration Job Skill Demonstration
Withlacoochee Technical College Sleepy Hill Middle School
Gold Silver Bronze Gold Silver Bronze Gold
Orange Technical College Orange Technical College Marchman Technical College Pensacola State College Sleepy Hill Middle School Santa Fe College Orange Technical College
Carlos Aranda Hunter Fain
Bronze Silver
Medical Terminology Medical Terminology Nail Care Photography Pin Design Plumbing Residential Commercial and Appliance Technology Telecommunications Cabling Welding
Orange Technical College Big Bend Technical College
Adult and Community Educators of Florida 2021 Awards Student
Neeta Rancourt Steve and Nancy Abney, Polk County Mayor Tim Pospichal, Auburndale Northest Chamber of Commerce Valerie Barthelus Christina Ureña Mackenzie Shiau Dr. Danielle DeConcillo
Award
Awarding Organization
President’s Awards Volunteer of the Year
ACE of Florida ACE of Florida
Business Supporter of the Year
ACE of Florida
Media Promotion of the Year Non-Instructional Support Staff of the Year Instructional Support Staff of the Year Teacher of the Year The John E. Lawrence Administrator of the Year
ACE of Florida ACE of Florida
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ACE of Florida ACE of Florida ACE of Florida
GUESS who? When I’m not working I spend a little too much time obsessing over soccer, even the minor leagues here in the United States. In fact a friend and I run a podcast where we talk about the news and interview club presidents / general managers. I’m also on the board of the Tallahassee Soccer Association. I went to the University of Maine, the same school that Stephen King went to! Who am I?
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Robert Blevins, State Supervisor Brittany Ross, Director, Research and Evaluation Cameron Reed, Operations & Management Consultant Ninafe Awong, Director, Career and Technical Education Keith Richards, Statewide Director of Career and Technical Education Quality CLICK HERE TO VOTE
Last Edition’s Guess Who was Sierra Anderson, Director of Outreach and Recruitment 16
SOCIAL MEDIA shoutouts
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upcoming events National Apprenticeship Week: November 15-21 The U.S. Department of Labor named the week of November 15-21 as the 2021 National Apprenticeship Week. The weeklong celebration allows labor and business leaders, educational institutions, career seekers and other partners to demonstrate support for apprenticeships in preparing a highly skilled, diverse workforce to meet the talent needs of employers and train Americans for good-paying jobs across multiple industries. Celebrate with our ready-made graphics and videos available here. Other CTAE-related recognition days observed during the month of November are included below. National STEM Day: November 8 National Entrepreneurs Day: November 15 Small Business Saturday: November 27
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