Florida Education Department offers workforce development funds to 8 state education programs
By Drew Dixon
The Florida Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant (CAP Grant) Program is infusing $12 million in additional funding to educational institutions.
The money is designed to equip student skills so they can excel in industries such as agriculture, health care and technology.
Most of the latest grants were in increments of $1.7 million to seven different School Districts in the state. Those districts include Baker, Clay, Dixie, Hendry, Hernando, Levy and Sumter counties.
Those School Districts will use most of that money for a combination of agritechnology, technical agriculture operations, agriculture biotechnology, animal science and services, horticulture science and services, landscape operations, and food science programs.
Another $455,792 was designated to Florida State University’s lab school for enhancing programs for nursing assistants in acute and long-term care, commercial art technology and game simulation, and animation visual design.
The latest round of Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Program funding brings the total of grants to $200 million since the program was founded in 2023. That funding has helped support creation and expansion of workforce education curriculum for high school and post-secondary education in high-demand vocational areas.
“Under Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ steadfast leadership, Florida has prioritized investments in career and technical education which lead to economic success for our students and our economy,” said Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. in a news release.
“With this $12 million investment, we are strengthening workforce education programs while creating new opportunities for students to gain the skills needed for high-demand careers.”
The program was designed “to provide grants to school districts and Florida College System institutions to fund some or all of the costs associated with the creation or expansion of career and technical education workforce development programs that lead to industry certifications,” the state’s description said.
Drew Dixon is a journalist of 40 years who has reported in print and broadcast throughout Florida, starting in Ohio in the 1980s. He is also an adjunct professor of philosophy and ethics at three colleges, Jacksonville University, University of North Florida and Florida State College at Jacksonville. You can reach him at drewdixonwriting@gmail.com.