Team Projects & Initiatives
Building Rural Learning Systems
FutureMakers Coalition was been chosen by CivicLab as one of five rural partnerships across the U.S. to participate in a two-year initiative to improve higher education and workforce systems. Supported by Ascendium Education Group, FutureMakers Coalition received training, technical assistance, and direct financial support valued at $150,000 to develop and implement system-level strategies that create pathways to prosperity for low-income learners in Hendry County, resulting in the development of a rural guiding team. The rural guiding is working together to address challenges that are unique to rural communities in SWFL. The team is now working to expand beyond just Hendry County to include other rural places in the region, including Glades County and Immokalee.
Employer Recruitment Specialists
The Employer Coordinator will work collaboratively with the Partnership Manager to enage with employers, undersetand their workfoce needs, and connect individuals who are in training programs to relevant career opportunutues. The Employer Coordniator will asssist employers with building career patheways while assistng with their recruiting strategies. The Coordiantor will also work closely with the Navigator team to undersastnd resources vailable in the region and what job seekers needs are. Navigators serve as guides to our program participants, helping them understaind their postsecondary options, and create and follow a plane to earn a credential beyond high school wetehre they have experince in education post-high school or not. Navigators worrk closesly with our partner adult education program, technical schools, colleges, and unversities to help students succeed. Navigators support students initial inquiry yhrough graduation and connecting to employers using in person and technology-supported communicaton.
Nursing Mentorship Microbadge
Nurses are predominantly leaving in the first 2 years of work due to burnout. The goal is to transition retiring aged nurses into mentors to help the incoming workforce. The pilot project would fund the curriculum development andstipends for 20 mentor nurses going through the training.
Equitable Jobs Pipeline
Florida Gulf Coast University, together with FutureMakers Coalition at Collaboratory, developed the Southwest Florida Equitable Jobs Pipeline to upskill the regional workforce and build an even stronger economy throughout Southwest Florida and beyond.
Manufacturing System Alignment Team
The manufacturing team brings together employers in the manufacturing sector across all five counties to discuss openings in their organizations, barriers employers and job seekers are facing. Education partners, non-profits and CareerSource are invited to the table to help work together to make an impact on the workforce by bridging gaps in the system.
Logistics System Alignment Team
The logistics team brings together employers in the manufacturing sector across all five counties to discuss openings in their organizations, barriers employers and job seekers are facing. Education partners, non-profits and CareerSource are invited to the table to help work together to make an impact on the workforce by bridging gaps in the system.
Workers with Unique Abilities
This team is currently focused on conducting baseline data assessment. The objective is to bring awareness about the benefits of hiring workers with unique abilities, ranging from intellectual disabilities to physical disabilities such as blindness or deafness).
Career Pathways
This team is currently focused on updating the website that we have designed to be a one stop shop for workers and employers in the region.
SWFL Talent Through Training
The training providers across the 5 counties to discuss and bridge barriers for adult learners to completing post-secondary training.
Healthcare System Alignment Team
To support the Healthcare Talent Pipeline, FutureMakers Coalition will require a $350,000 investment each year for three years. Your investment in FutureMakers Coalition will leverage $22.9M in funding from the Department of Commerce for the Southwest Florida Equitable Jobs Pipeline, in partnership with Florida Gulf Coast University. With this additional funding, FutureMakers will continue to bring Healthcare employers to the table to identify the programs needed to certify skilled workers for available careers.
Hiring Lunch and Learn Community Event (Healthcare)
The employers of the healthcare alignment team sponsored a hiring lunch and learn community event. The employers paid for a digital marketing plan for one month before the event to target high school seniors as well as the neighborhoods surrounding Fort Myers Technical College, where the event was hosted. Nova Southeastern sponsored lunch as a way to attract job seekers to the event. Employers presented on the career pathway opportunities of healthcare and how to get started. There was a job fair setup after the presentation to allow for networking and connecting to resource such as the FMC Navigators, education partners, and CareerSource.
Immokalee Adult Education Project
The Immokalee project bridges the language gaps and ensures a strong community connection through English proficiency for adults. The project addresses barriers Haitian adult learners who complete the program to help them seek a good job, enter higher education, or become successful entrepreneurs. The goal of the project is for 75% of Immokalee adult learner students actively participating in the program for 2 semesters will be English proficient in grammar, written and verbal communication to be prepared for a good job.
Employee Retention Team
Healthcare employers and education partners working together to address ways to help retention rates in high demand positions.
Upcoming Meetings & Events
Team Coordinator:
Lisa Freitas
lfreitas@collaboratory.org
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