$3 million grant to enhance efficiency and outcomes statewide


ORLANDO — CareerSource Florida Chairman Dwayne Ingram announced today at the Florida Chamber Foundation’s annual Future of Florida Forum that Florida has been awarded $3 million in federal grant funds to further promote data-driven career training and improve efficiency in connecting Floridians with employers.


The competitive U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) grant will support the development of a performance-based funding program that rewards the state’s regional workforce boards for measurable improvements and excellence in service to job seekers and businesses.


“Developing an outcomes-focused program to reward high-performing regional workforce boards is a key priority for CareerSource Florida’s business-led Board of Directors,” said Board Chairman Dwayne Ingram. “This innovative Performance Funding Model will inform policy discussions and decisions, align resources to shared goals, reward excellence and showcase improvement that leads to Floridians connecting with careers.” 


This week the CareerSource Florida network is participating in the Florida Chamber Foundation’s annual Future of Florida Forum to hear directly from businesses about their talent needs and work with partners in education, industry, economic and community development to identify new strategies for supporting job creation and retention.


“The CareerSource Florida network remains focused on providing market-relevant employment and training services to drive economic growth and prosperity for the people and businesses we serve,” said CareerSource Florida President and CEO Chris Hart IV. “This new performance funding program will harness state-of-the-art technology and real-time data to propel our system to even stronger outcomes as we promote excellence and innovative solutions.”


Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Executive Director Jesse Panuccio said, “DEO is pleased to partner with CareerSource Florida to facilitate increased outreach and engagement with Florida job seekers, employers, and industry sectors through the Workforce Innovation Fund Grant. With this grant, we will launch initiatives to improve and grow our state’s talent pipeline and train Florida’s workforce on the needed skills of the future.”


Regional workforce boards that meet future measures for efficiency and effectiveness will be eligible to receive additional funding for their programs and services to address employment and training needs in their communities. The statewide project is being led by Dr. Rod Lewis, CareerSource Florida Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, working collaboratively with state and regional workforce leaders.


Florida is one of nine states receiving funding from the USDOL’s Workforce Innovation Fund in this latest series of federal awards.


For more information on services available through the CareerSource Florida network, visit careersourceflorida.com. 


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