Florida’s economy continues to change and quality education is more important than ever before. Florida must be prepared to compete in the global marketplace and quality education will be our best economic development tool as we work to secure Florida’s future. The growing need for a highly skilled and educated workforce will only continue to grow over the next two decades. With The Florida Council of 100’s Closing the Talent Gap report showing only 76 out of every 100 Florida students graduating from high school and only 51 percent of those graduates going on to attend college, education is vitally important to our economic success.
The Florida College System (consisting of 14 community colleges, 5 colleges, 8 state colleges and 1 junior college), in addition to the State University System, for-profit private institutions, non-profit private institutions and virtual delivery mechanisms make up Higher Education.
The Florida Chamber supports empowering our higher education system to lead Florida’s transformation into a knowledge-based economy.
Working with partners such as the Foundation for Florida’s Future, The Florida Council of 100, Workforce Florida and other education reform advocates, Florida is leading the way for innovative education reforms needed to cultivate a talented workforce with the skills to succeed in the new economy.
*Excerpts taken from the Florida Council of 100′s Closing the Talent Gap report.
To secure Florida’s future, the Florida Chamber continues building on its long-standing efforts to champion bold education reform policy centered on accountability, measuring successes and failures, rewarding good teachers and providing parents and students with options to achieve education success.
After years of battling the union agenda, the Florida Chamber and its partners in the education community are not only leading the charge to reform Florida’s education system, positive gains are being made. But more must be done.
The Florida Chamber is committed to focusing on ways to use innovation to change our education system and secure Florida’s future by establishing our state as a global leader in education.
Higher Education Governance & STEM Emphasis (HB 7135)
Ensuring Florida’s universities are aligning their strategies with the employment needs of a knowledge-based economy is essential to growing Florida’s future economy. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) degrees are in high demand, and meeting the growing need of degrees will help ensure Florida is positioned to provide sustainable economic growth.
Research shows that by 2018, there will be about 134,000 STEM jobs in Florida – up 20 percent from the 112,000 STEM jobs in 2010. To close this talent supply gap, Sen. Don Gaetz (R-Destin) and Rep. Bill Proctor (R-St. Augustine) sponsored Florida Chamber-backed legislation establishing the critical link between high-wage jobs of the future and student outputs from Florida universities. The Florida Board of Governors, the State Board of Education and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity will work together to adopt a consensus state endorsed STEM education plan. Universities will also be rewarded for high STEM degree performance.
State University System Chancellor Frank Brogan and Florida Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mark Wilson discuss higher education governance, aligning goals and resources in the latest edition of The Florida Chamber’s Bottom Line.
Gov. Rick Scott, who has been at odds with state university officials and faculty on issues ranging from tuition to course offerings, appointed a new task force Friday with a business-oriented leader to recommend changes for making Florida’s system more efficient, transparent and accountable.
All but one of Florida’s Republican senators got a passing grade, with two earning perfect scores — Garrett Richter, R-Naples, and Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando — and 13 others picking up “A’s” for their votes in the regular session from the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
