The sixth annual Southwest Florida workforce overview study has been released and provides key information about industries, occupations, employments gaps and projected job growth.
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UnMazed Magazine is dedicated to teen academic and personal success.
Written by experts across the state of Florida, this online magazine provides the information all parents and students are seeking.
UnMazed Magazine is dedicated to teen academic and personal success. Written by experts across the state of Florida, this online magazine provides the information all parents and students are seeking.
While nurses will always be needed in Southwest Florida, they’re not as much needed by local employers as they were a year or two ago.
For the first time in three years, nurses and other health care professionals aren’t included in the top 10 list of occupations showing the largest employment gaps — where there are more jobs than workers.
That is just one of the more interesting findings from an annual study conducted by Workforce Now, a research initiative that involves Florida Gulf Coast University, Hodges University and Florida SouthWestern State College.
So what are the occupations with the largest gaps now? Local employers need everything from retail supervisors to landscapers to maids.
Here’s the top 10 list:
2017 Business Survey Report: 116 Businesses responded from Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hedry and Lee counties as well as Outside of Southwest Florida.
Respondents include small, medium and large business.
As parents and students begin navigating the high school to college process, an important piece often overlooked in the college admission process, is the college resume. We would not enter into a job application without it, and applying to college is no different! A college resume is essential in receiving quality recommendation letters, applying for colleges and scholarships, and ensuring your academic and extra-curricular activities are showcased in your application.
Hear from college experts on what makes a college your perfect fit.
What may seem to be a long drive for a boring tour given by an overly peppy guide who speaks faster than ever imagined possible is actually more valuable than most families think if done right. Giving the students a clearer picture of what they want and don’t want from their future college, allowing them a chance to demonstrate interest to their top choices, getting their questions answered and showing them what they are working for and where they may be in a short time are all reasons not to forgo campus visits. Here are 5 tips for getting the most out of your campus visits.
While the summer months are heating up in Southwest Florida, another phenomenon in college admissions happens: the summer melt. The summer melt occurs when college-intending high school graduates changed or reconsidered where, or even whether, to attend college in the months after graduation.
The summer melt is more prevalent in low-income, minority and first-generation communities that may lack resources and guidance in following through with their college plans. Some estimates by college admissions research places the summer melt of seniors as ranging from 10 to 40 percent of students.
This year, Lee County had a record-setting high school graduation rate of 90 percent, with Collier County’s high school graduation rate at 88 percent. But according to a local workforce study completed by the FutureMakers Coalition, only 37.7 percent of high school graduates have completed a college degree or certificate program in Southwest Florida.
One area of concern is that the pipeline of students that feeds into our workforce development is being underserved. With the FutureMakers Coalition’s goal of increasing degree and certificate attainment in Southwest Florida to 55 percent by the year 2025, both the K-12 and higher education systems need to work more cohesively to support parents and students. Our K-12 system cannot say, “They are graduated, now they are yours,” and the post-secondary institutions cannot say, “They have not come yet, so they are still yours.” A combined effort, including engagement of K-12 and higher education in conjunction with parents and students, is necessary.
According to research, there are some small initiatives that can have large impacts on reducing the number of students who are susceptible to summer melt. While personalized phone calls are helpful, some colleges found students still grew frustrated by the length of time receiving answers from the college, and not understanding the college process of financial aid, documentation, transcripts and other necessary steps to enroll in college.
Florida SouthWestern State College implements a collaborative mindset throughout the academic year and summer to provide additional support to encourage early enrollment step completion to set students up for success and increased outreach during summer months for those finalizing their plans.
School counselors. Florida South- Western State College understands that preparation for college begins long before a student’s senior year of high school. The institution’s admission counselors focus on building relationships with school counselors by offering presentations and programs to provide individualized support to the student body in the community. Throughout the academic year admission counselors can be found in local high schools presenting topics such as basic college knowledge scholarship opportunities, financial aid process and enrollment steps. Admission counselors also commonly offer admission and FSW scholarship application completion workshops and provide assistance to students wanting to complete the enrollment steps to register.
Parents. Parents are critical in reminding students they are college material and can be successful in a post-secondary institution. In addition to playing the role as the cheerleader, educating oneself is essential to identifying which institution is the best fit. A college’s website is a great place to begin.
Parents should promote visiting the college before the first day of class. FSW hosts campus tours at all locations. See www.fsw.edu/tours to schedule a date to discover Florida SouthWestern State College.
FSW encourages parents to ask their child questions and line up necessary documents needed to complete the college application, residency for tuition purposes (at public postsecondary institutions) and financial aid well before the deadline.
Post-secondary institutions. Florida SouthWestern State College is still accepting admissions applications for the fall 2018 semester that begins in August. In preparation for fall, the Office of Admission at FSW strives to provide accepted students their next steps by communicating to students though phone calls and emails. The institution also encourages students to check their student portals frequently for enrollment status updates to ensure they are able to register for the upcoming semester in a timely manner.
New students who have not applied are encouraged to attend an enrollment information session during the summer months to guide them through the enrollment process in a group presentation format. See more information at www.fsw.edu/admissions/events.
Community organizations. For many community organizations that support students during the summer months it is a great time to plan a group visit to one of the Florida SouthWestern State Colleges locations. Group tours typically begin with a presentation from one of FSW’s admission. For more information, contact Ashley Crilly in the admissions office at [email protected] or 432- 7355.
— Amanda Sterk, Ed. D., is the director of accelerated pathways for Florida SouthWestern State College. Ashley Crilley, M. A., is the associate director of recruitment operations for Florida SouthWestern State College.
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UnMazed Magazine: The College Process (July)
Published on Jun 29, 2018
Teen and parent resource for academic and personal success written by educational experts.
