Aligning Math Education to Workforce Needs: Insights From Florida’s Employers

As Florida advances toward becoming a Top 10 global economy by 2030, a major factor in achieving this goal is ensuring Florida’s workforce possesses the essential math skills to meet the demands of an evolving job market. The Florida Chamber Foundation’s report, Aligning Math Education to Workforce Needs: Insights From Florida’s Employers is a complementary follow-up to the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Math Matters: Bridging Gaps for Florida’s Future Workforce report and combines data from statewide focus groups and surveys with business leaders, educators, and parents.

This report provides recommendations for supplementing curriculum with practical, “real world” applications, early exposure to math-intensive careers, and enhanced industry-education partnerships to address resource disparities and improve workforce alignment.

Read the full report below:

Key findings on K-12 math education in Florida:

• Misalignment Between Math Education in Florida and Workplace Math Skill Requirements:
  • Employers surveyed across industries emphasized the importance of math skills such as problem-solving, data analysis, and financial literacy as vital for workforce readiness.
  • Business leaders believe there are gaps between the skills being learned in Florida schools and the skills those same business leaders report as required in the workplace.
  • Both business leaders and some educators highlighted a lack of real-world applications in K-12 math education lesson plans and curriculum.
• Hiring Challenges in Florida:
  • Many business leaders face challenges in finding job candidates equipped with the necessary math skills.
  • Both educators and business leaders underscored the need for soft skills, including communication, teamwork, and critical thinking, to complement technical competencies in the workforce.
• How We Can Improve Outcomes:
  • Supplementing curriculum with practical, “real world” applications.
  • Early exposure to math-intensive careers.
  • Enhanced industry-education partnerships to address resource disparities and improve workforce alignment.

For questions about this report or to learn more about the Florida Chamber Foundation’s ongoing efforts to improve math proficiency outcomes in Florida, contact Dr. Keith Richard at krichard@flchamber.com.

A special thanks to the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Community Development Partnership Council for driving this research and our mission forward. To support the Florida Chamber Foundation’s ongoing efforts to generate action-oriented research to advance progress towards our Florida 2030 Blueprint goals, please contact Dr. Keith Richard at krichard@flchamber.com