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HAAS Study
The Haas Center performed several of the research studies that guided the creation of Okaloosa County's CHOICE program and remains involved in the development of vocational education programs statewide. Pinellas County, though different in many key respects from Okaloosa, stands poised to realize great gains from the creative implementation of career education.
The advent of career academies heralds the dawn of a new era in education for the State of Florida. The vocational education revolution has its genesis in initiatives across the nation that seek to better coordinate educational outcomes with actual and projected workforce needs. In Florida, the passage of Senate Bill 1232 (Florida Chapter 2007-216) means that career/technical education will share many of the characteristics of Okaloosa County's CHOICE Institute program. Career academies have the potential to function as the critical link in transitioning secondary students into successful careers in the workforce. Career academies, as they have developed, are designed to provide students advanced pre-college training in areas relevant to the local economy, and to solicit feedback from economic development councils, workforce development boards, and other local business groups to aid in determining the needs of the local economy. Additionally, many academies provide industry-level certification positions upon graduation from high school. Pinellas County's career academies should develop consistent with this basic framework.
The Haas Center conducted a needs assessment of Pinellas County. Researchers were tasked with defining the jobs forecasted to experience the greatest growth over the next decade. Researchers concluded that sectors such as life sciences; aviation and aerospace; and manufacturing, construction, and transportation are growing industries that are minimally affected by off-shoring and globalization. Information Technology and Financial Services, on the other hand, are growing within the county, but are also the industries most highly threatened by globalization.
The development of career education programs consistent with the data can potentially lead to the creation of a workforce that supports blooming industries in Pinellas County. This will ensure good jobs for Pinellas residents and a qualified, highly trained workforce for Pinellas County employers.
Kristin Dailey
Director of Economic Development Services
727-507-4300 x3004
WorkNet Pinellas
13805 58th St. N. 2-140
Clearwater, FL 33773
- Haas Study (PowerPoint Presentation)
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Assessments
