GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis says state colleges, including St. Petersburg College, will receive $10 million to create career and technical education charter schools.
DeSantis made the announcement Wednesday while speaking at Santa Fe College in Gainesville.
He explained the money would be used to "create career and technical education charter schools so that high school students can gain credentials in high demand fields while getting their high school diplomas."
"When students from these new charter schools graduate, they will be prepared to join the workforce if they so choose with no debt and will be able to earn very, very good salaries," he continued.
Florida state colleges DeSantis specifically named in his announcement included not only Santa Fe College, but also NorthWest Florida State College, Tallahassee Community College, St. Pete College and Miami-Dade College.
During his announcement, he did not specify exactly when the charter schools would be created nor map out the details of the colleges' roles in creating and maintaining these schools.
DeSantis says the $10 million is part of $89 million the state will be dedicating to workforce education within state colleges and universities and K-12 schools.
The governor also stated workforce education and pushing for supporting vocational programs has been a focus of his since taking office.
In June 2021, he signed a bill to create the office of Reimagining Education and Career Help (REACH) to help facilitate Florida's workforce development system.
DeSantis has repeatedly emphasized the idea that a four-year college education is not the only path to success, and in fact, often lands people thousands of dollars in debt without a job in their field.