Sunshine Sentinel

 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed off on a $6 million Job Growth Grant Fund award for the city of Tavares that will be used to erect a new workforce training and innovation center.

“I awarded the city of Tavares $6 million to construct a new workforce training and innovation center that will expand opportunities in key areas like drivers and mechanics for commercial trucks,” DeSantis said in a post to Twitter on Oct. 29.

With changes planned in partnership with Lake Technical College, the new center would allow the college to triple the number of students capable of being enrolled in its programs for diesel systems technology, automotive services and automotive collision to 48, according to a release from the governor's office. Such expansion would go a long way in helping the state to meet the demand of more than 67,000 new openings in these occupations over the next eight years.

Since 2019, DeSantis has pushed a plan that would make Florida home to the best workforce education offerings in the country over the next decade. Counting this year’s Job Growth Grant Fund awards, DeSantis has now awarded upwards of $20 million for workforce training initiatives across the state, creating both jobs and skilled workers that are now playing key roles in the nation’s ongoing supply chain crisis.

“In Florida, we are stepping up in the midst of the nation’s supply chain woes,” DeSantis said in the release. “Our ports are open and have capacity, we are standing up for businesses, and we are continuing to support the supply chain by training skilled workers across our state. We will continue to invest in programs that create opportunities for Floridians and support our growing economy.”

Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran has expressed total agreement with the governor’s course of action.

“I am thankful for Governor DeSantis’ championship of workforce education,” he said, according to the release. “Investing in career and technical education programs like Lake Technical College’s automotive training builds the workforce of tomorrow—today. As Florida continues to grow, it is vital that we strengthen our capable and highly-skilled workforce to meet the future needs of Floridians everywhere.”

The Florida Job Growth Grant Fund is an economic development program designed to promote public infrastructure and workforce training across the state.