Goal to transform Southwest Florida’s workforce
The Persistence and Progress Regional Action Team of the FutureMakers Coalition is working to develop a foundational skill development curriculum to pilot with post-secondary students and will open a request for proposals on Oct. 3, 2016.
The foundational skills project is requesting proposals for the development of a foundational skills curriculum with the goal to increase active listening, critical thinking/problem solving, interpersonal skills, teamwork and work ethic, and to build education and business partnerships. The project is seeking to increase these skills and employability of Southwest Florida’s high-school and post-secondary students and existing workforce while simultaneously encouraging employers to value students through an improved assessment of employment candidate foundational skills.
“Once a proper curriculum has been developed, it will initially be implemented by existing staff at Florida Southwestern State College and later expanded to other partners,” said Tessa LeSage, director of social innovation and sustainability for the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, the backbone organization for FutureMakers Coalition. “In addition to the classroom instruction on foundational skills, an employer pool will be created. The employer pool will participate in interview workshops to ensure that post-secondary institutions and employers are aligned around foundational skills for employment candidates.”
According to LeSage, the curriculum content should prepare students for employment and career advancement through development of vital foundational skills identified as deficient among Southwest Florida’s workforce. The curriculum should also include a curriculum-based professional development component with turnkey training resources that will allow implementing organizations to build professional capacity.
Proposals will be evaluated by the FutureMakers Coalition Persistence and Progress Team consisting of fair and impartial Southwest Florida Community Foundation staff and consultants, and coalition partners.
Applicants may be either nonprofit or for-profit organizations. The full RFP is available at www.futuremakerscoalition.com/proposals. The deadline for materials is Nov. 1, 2016. For more information, contact Ashley Skalecki, the Southwest Florida Community Foundation’s regional initiatives and partnerships coordinator at askalecki@floridacommunity.com.
The goal of the FutureMakers Coalition is to transform the workforce by increasing the number of Southwest Florida residents with degrees, certificates and other high-quality credentials to 40 percent by the year 2025.
Southwest Florida is one of 75 metropolitan areas working alongside Lumina Foundation to increase post-secondary attainment nationwide while increasing the number of working age adults with degrees and certifications.
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation serves as the anchor organization for the Coalition. The FutureMakers Coalition encourages residents to join and support this community-changing initiative. For more information, visit www.futuremakerscoalition.com, call 239-274-5900 or email Tessa LeSage at TLeSage@floridacommunity.com.
