3 minute read
Interview: Randy Avent
but never completed their college degrees, according to a 2017 American Community Survey. But institutions are now beginning to look to the source and approach high-school students to ensure a continuous talent pipeline flowing into the industry.
South Florida-based nonprofit Council for Educational Change developed a career forum to bridge the gap between students and employers, recruiting companies to speak to students about the benefits of obtaining a job in their respective fields. Hillsborough enrolled in the program in 2018 and so far, participating companies include Busch Gardens, Mainsail Lodging and Development, and Tampa International Airport, all of which have high demand for job candidates. And it is not just tourism-related industries that are involved. In 2019, the group organized a visit to Citigroup in east Tampa, one of the city’s largest employers.
Trades Last summer, DeSantis signed an education bill (HB 7071) to expand workforce training and apprenticeships, which would essentially focus on the demographic with a high school degree and provide them a vocational career pathway. Skilled tradespeople are becoming especially difficult to find in Tampa, especially as construction activity ramps up. A low unemployment rate means companies are fighting for the best talent, and construction projects in Florida have suffered.
Eight out of every 10 firms are having trouble finding enough skilled labor, according to a survey from the Associated General Contractors of America released in August. Many anticipate hiring challenges through 2020 in recruitment of pipelayers, sheet metal workers, carpenters, concrete workers, pipefitters and welders. In Florida in particular, 82% of firms expect to hire additional hourly workers in the next year, compared to 76% nationally, and 60% had to increase bid prices to adjust for higher labor costs. And The American Welding Society predicts a nationwide shortage of more than 450,000 skilled welding professionals by 2022.
Despite these challenges, DeSantis wants Florida to go from No. 24 to No. 1 in the nation for its workforce and technical training programs by 2030 and state Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran has requested $36 million from the legislature for workforce apprenticeships and vocational programs in the state colleges.
Tampa is also coming up with some innovative solutions by going straight to the source: high-school students. The Build Tampa Bay trade show takes place annually to allow the private sector to connect with Randy Avent President Florida Polytechnic University
How is Florida Polytechnic University the key to economic growth in Polk County?
Technical research universities have a tremendous influence on growing the economies in the areas that surround them, and that is what we plan to do for Polk County and the entire state of Florida. Economic growth begins by creating high-skilled, high-wage, high-tech jobs and you do that through excellence in education. Each of these jobs is accompanied by several mid-wage positions that support it, which ultimately leads to a stronger overall economy. Companies want to be located near universities known for producing graduates in high-demand fields with low supply. They feed from this pipeline of high-technology talent that is ready to lead in industry and to create the next innovations that will disturb the status quo.
What is the university’s biggest challenge?
As a new university, there are always challenges. The day we opened the university we had a full student body and were doing $30 million dollars worth of business. The university is still a startup because we are only six years into this and most universities have been around for more than 50 years. It will take time for the dust to settle and one challenge will be to continue attracting students who can be successful in a curriculum like this. We want to retain high quality students in Florida by oering them a curriculum that is dierent from the institutions they’re looking at out of state. We are also an attractive option because only 11% of our students are graduating with debt and the average debt is only $7,000.
What is on the horizon for the university?
We will continue growing and developing our curriculum. We are very fortunate that we were able to hire the provost from Colorado School of Mines, which USA Today ranked as the No. 1 engineering school three years in a row. He has led an eort to rebuild and grow the curriculum, and that includes making sure that it meets national standards.
