Palm Beach State College: The County’s Pathway to Prosperity

When Palm Beach State College announced in December a partnership with TMRW Sports to build a high-tech venue at its Palm Beach Gardens campus, the news reflected the college’s ongoing and creative approach to business collaboration in support of student education.

The initiative will come to life as TGL, a high-tech golf league created in partnership with the PGA Tour and backed by golfers Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, and TMRW founder and CEO Mike McCarley. With an investment of $9.1 million of in-kind services to the college and $1.7 million in infrastructure improvements, the venture will provide educational and professional growth opportunities for the college, its students and the community.

“This is a proud moment in Palm Beach State College’s history that promises to advance our institution’s recognition as a leader in providing pathways to innovative careers that transform the lives of our students,” President Ava L. Parker, J.D., said at the time. “The TMRW Sports partnership will provide many benefits to the college and provide our students with access to training and employment opportunities in emerging tech fields that will set a strong foundation for their future success.”

This is just the role Palm Beach State College has come to play for employers in need of highly skilled talent. Established in 1933 as Florida’s first public community college, Palm Beach State has seen many of its 140,000 alumni go on to successful careers across the region.

Its success begins at home. PBSC drives $1.1 billion in local economic impact, employing more than 2,500 faculty, adjunct faculty, staff and other personnel. The college also provides $75 million in financial aid awarded to students on its five campuses and online and hybrid programs.

For employers, PBSC is a pipeline for skilled talent. PBSC offers 130 programs of study, including bachelor’s and associate degrees, professional certificates, career training and lifelong learning. Scores of leaders from local businesses and organizations employ and mentor students and influence the development of educational and workforce programs. The college also works closely with the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County on identifying areas of development to better serve the business community.

“Woven into each program’s success is this very strong fabric of business advisors,” Parker said. “They help us understand the kind of employees they need. Then as students graduate, they’re first in line to hire them.”

In the classroom, upgraded technology features multimodal teaching and learning, augmented reality and virtual reality equipment, and machine learning and 3-D visualization. These foster pathways to careers in high technology, health and medical fields, business, and vocational and technical sectors.

What students and employers find is a relatively quick career path— starting with a certificate, and growing to an associate’s and then bachelor’s degree. Students can then seamlessly transfer to four-year degree and postgraduate programs at partnering Florida and national universities.

“The DNA of a community college is that we meet the students and the communities we serve where they are,” Parker said.

The partnerships and accolades are focused on the future. Amazon selected PBSC as an education partner for its Career Choice program, which provides Amazon’s hourly employees access to the college’s degree and certificate programs.

The college is one of 70 community colleges nationwide selected to participate in the Artificial Intelligence Incubator Network. In this initiative, created by Intel, Dell Technologies and the American Association of Community Colleges, colleges collaborate on creating an AI curriculum, teaching best practices, and lab development.

This quarter, the college expects to break ground on a $50 million dental and medical services technology building at the Dennis P. Gallon Campus in Loxahatchee Groves. The 84,000-square-foot facility will offer certificates and degrees in dental hygiene and assisting, surgical services, and physical therapist assisting.

“PBSC’s job is to prepare our community for the jobs being created. One of the primary roles of a community college is to provide the instructional infrastructure that supports job growth that benefits residents,” President Parker said. “With so much economic development underway, PBSC will play a critical role in the success of Palm Beach County by ensuring that our residents will benefit from higher-earning occupations in this growing knowledge-based economy.”

Palm Beach State College Fast Facts

From its five campuses in Belle Glade, Boca Raton, Lake Worth Beach, Loxahatchee Groves and Palm Beach Gardens—plus PBSC Online— Palm Beach State College serves a diverse student population: n 34% Hispanic n 30% White n 29% Black n 7% All Other n 60% Female n 38% Male n 2% Not Declared

FAST FACT:

PBSC is the county’s leading educator of first responders. Since 1999, PBSC has trained 4,500 nurses and 7,800 police, firefighters, paramedics and EMTs.