Goal to transform Southwest Florida’s workforce
The 2024 Annual FutureMakers Coalition Champions Meeting was held at Collaboratory on Thursday, September 12 with more than 100 CEO and C-Suite executives representing regional business leaders and educators.
FutureMakers Coalition aims to transform Southwest Florida’s workforce by increasing the proportion of skilled working age adults with college degrees, workforce certificates, industry certifications and other high-quality credentials to 55 percent. It is the premier regional initiative in Southwest Florida, leading a network of more than 260 individuals and 180 cross-sector partner organizations. FutureMakers Coalition is regarded as one of Florida and the nation’s most advanced collective impact networks. Collaboratory provides backbone support for FutureMakers Coalition.
Now in its 9th year, this year’s event was chaired by Kay Tracy, interim director of Charlotte County Economic Development Office and Mike Swindle, superintendent of Hendry County Schools. The program included an overview and highlights of FutureMakers work and successes in the past year; a keynote address by Mark Wilson, President of the Florida Chamber of Commerce; as well as presentations by Children’s Movement of Florida, FGCU Regional Economic Research Institute and the Lee County Economic Development Office.
In her opening address, FutureMakers Chief Impact Officer Tessa LeSage told the audience that we have a workforce problem.
“By 2025, almost 70% of jobs will require a credential beyond high school. Meanwhile, 50% of jobs are at risk of automation. That doesn’t mean less jobs. It means jobs will require new skills. At the same time, less than 50% of kids that are going into kindergarten in Southwest Florida are ready. High school graduation rates are declining. So, we have a big problem here. Southwest Florida also has an aging workforce problem, with more folks planning to retire than other places across the state and nation. The only way we’re going to manage this is by proactively working together. I know we can do it because we are FutureMakers. Being a FutureMaker means we share all the problems and we find the solutions and celebrate our successes together.”
Since 2013, FutureMakers Coalition has helped increase the percentage of qualified workers with needed education or training from 39 percent to 44.3 percent amounting to more than 62,600 credentials.
LeSage reported that between the Lee County Industrial Development Authority, the Elsa & Peter Soderberg Foundation, Collaboratory and Truist Foundation, they have committed $1.3 million to transform employer recruitment.
An update on the Southwest Florida Equitable Jobs Pipeline, made possible by FGCU in partnership with FutureMakers Coalition at Collaboratory, reported that $5 million in investments has been distributed to partner organizations. This work also includes successfully making 190 job placements, funding 55 training programs in four sectors, adding more than 30 new regional partners and recruiting 1,746 job seekers to the pipeline.
Made possible by nearly $23 million in federal funding, the Equitable Jobs Pipeline connects those who need to reskill and/or upskill any, including underemployed and unemployed Southwest Florida residents with training for industry-recognized credentials and, ultimately, careers with local employers committed to this partnership.
In 2021, Bank of America granted $300,000 to further FutureMakers Coalition’s goal of transforming Southwest Florida’s workforce. Through the grant and other funding, FutureMakers Coalition Reconnectors continue to grow. These are referrals connecting adults needing training programs to acquire better paying jobs as well as students who previously attended college but did not complete a credential or certification.
According to LeSage, since 2021, FutureMakers Coalition’s Navigators have assisted over 4,000 individuals with overcoming barriers to their education.
“Since 2018, we have committed over $500,000 to help capacity build, hire navigators, fund collaboration and help create system level change through FutureMakers Coalition,” said Carina Guillard, senior vice president, Market Executive at Bank of America. “When I’m asked what makes their mission important to others, I ask them: ‘Where’s your company going to be in five years? How do you plan to get there? And do you need a skilled workforce?’ Because if you do, you need to partner with FutureMakers.”
“What FutureMakers is doing we are trying to replicate statewide,” said keynote speaker Mark Wilson, president of the Florida Chamber of Commerce. “It’s really second to none. They aren’t afraid to say we’re doing a great job but there is so much more to do. None of us can achieve these big goals by ourselves. FutureMakers and Collaboratory makes everyone else more successful.”
During the event, FGCU and FutureMakers Coalition released their 2024 Southwest Florida Educational and Workforce Outcomes Report. Now in its fifth year, the report provides regional stakeholders with the latest educational and workforce outcomes for Southwest Florida (defined as the five-county region encompassing Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties).
Demographics show that Southwest Florida’s population is growing and at a faster rate than Florida, with primary growth occurring in the coastal counties of Southwest Florida. The working age population in the Southwest Florida region increased approximately 13.3 percent between 2013 and 2022. Similarly, the number of skilled workers in the region increased approximately 28.6 percent in the same timeframe.
Educational outcomes showed mixed results in the region. High school graduation rates in Southwest Florida rebounded in 2023 academic year to 86.8 percent but were still below the high of 89.9 percent in 2020 academic year. Both postsecondary and technical college fall enrollment numbers were down in Fall 2022 compared to Fall 2021 (down 4.2 and 21.2 percent), a trend shared at the state and national level. FAFSA completion rates also trended downwards, declining to 30.1 percent in the 2024 academic year.
Workforce indicators showed that the regional labor market remains strong. In June 2024, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.2 percent, a slight increase of 0.2 percentage points from the same month last year, yet still below the 5 percent threshold often associated with “full employment”. The region is historically a service-based economy, with industries such as retail trade (77,209 jobs), health care and social assistance (63,589 jobs) and accommodation and food services (62,123 jobs) accounting for three of the four largest industries. Nominal wages continue to grow, increasing 4.8 percent from 2022 to 2023 and outpacing growth observed in Florida (4.0 percent) and the United States (3.2 percent).
The full report is available at https://www.futuremakerscoalition.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/ewo2024.pdf
“We have some huge challenges in the future. We’re going to need 200,000 new workers over the next three to five years to fill jobs that are going to be retiring or new jobs that are going to be created,” said John Talmage, director of the Lee County Economic Development Office.
The Champions plays a pivotal role in the Coalition’s success and include regional leaders who have the ability to create a stronger workforce and vibrant economy by improving cradle-to-career opportunities for students, offering job training and certifications, employee educational incentives and more.
During the event, Shell Point announced that they would be investing $10,000 toward the long-term sustainability of FutureMakers Coalition.
FutureMakers Coalition encourages businesses to join and invest in sustaining this community-changing initiative by visiting https://www.futuremakerscoalition.com or emailing Tessa LeSage at tlesage@collaboratory.org.
About FutureMakers Coalition
FutureMakers Coalition is a regional collective impact initiative that has been designated a Talent Hub by Lumina Foundation in partnership with The Kresge Foundation to support local efforts to increase educational attainment. Formed in 2015 around existing regional collaborations, the Coalition is committed to creating a cradle-to-career pathway to ensure success for traditional students and adult learners. FutureMakers Coalition was one of Lumina Foundation’s 75 national Community Partners in Attainment and is a member of the National Talent Network. Collaboratory provides backbone/administrative support to FutureMakers Coalition.
