AVON PARK, Fla. — The day after Gov. Ron DeSantis touted his accomplishments on the gubernatorial debate stage, the governor made an announcement regarding one of his main focuses since taking office: boosting Florida's workforce education.
At a news conference on Tuesday, DeSantis announced that $9 million will be going to three different state colleges to strengthen K-12 and college workforce education programs.
"What this funding’s gonna do is it’s gonna help these colleges establish regional partnerships with area school districts to develop career academies for in-demand occupations," the governor said.
DeSantis explained that these career academies will support education programs for careers in fields like emergency management, law enforcement and healthcare.
“We suspect that in three years, more than 2,000 students will graduate with credentials in these high-demand fields as a result of our effort," he continued.
The funds will be divided between three schools, with South Florida State College and Daytona State College each getting $2.8 million and St. Petersburg College getting $3.4 million.
St. Petersburg College was also among the group of schools that received funds earlier this year to create career and technical education charter schools.
Supporting vocational and workforce programs has been a major focus for DeSantis during his time in 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.
“We’ve done I think a lot not just to provide opportunities and resources but to also change the narrative that says ‘you’re not better than anyone just because you have a four-year degree.’ I mean it’s good for some people, for sure, but there’s so many other ways you can be successful and we want to provide those ways," DeSantis said.
You can watch the governor's full news conference below.