CareerEdge Advances the Future of Local Workforce Development

CareerEdge Advances the Future of Local Workforce Development

Sarasota, Fla. (September 1, 2021) Despite the pandemic’s penalties on the economy and workers, CareerEdge has continued to play an important role in workforce development and retention through on-the-job training and internship opportunities.

Through partnerships with 117 local businesses, CareerEdge has funded 327 internships, since 2016, for students to apply their knowledge outside the classroom this year. Outcomes from the CareerEdge’s 2021 Annual Evaluation show 46% of interns are hired by the employer where they interned or were hired elsewhere, and 46% continue their education.  Last year, 6,161 workers were trained, and 1,579 new jobs were created through the initiative.

The effort has been fueled recently by a $150,000 grant from Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation for practical training, which includes on-the-job training and internship salary subsidies for local employers. The funds will also be used for Career Edge’s Fast-Track training programs.

Fast-Track training plays a role in retention, which is critical in a tight labor market, by allowing employers to offer career laddering opportunities to their employees. Supporting additional learning helps reduce turnover and increase employee satisfaction. The employee can earn a wage during the day while gaining additional knowledge and skills at night in the Fast-Track training.

On-the-job training provides a hands-on method of teaching workers the competencies needed to perform a specific job. Employees earn a paycheck while on the job, and businesses are reimbursed a portion of the employee’s salary. Internships provide an immersive learning experience, allowing the intern to add value to the employer while learning key aspects of an industry. It helps students obtain the necessary skills required to succeed in today’s work environment while also offering them supplemental income.

As one intern shared, “This internship most definitely prepared me for the workforce because it gave me great insight on how it truly is. This was my first experience working 40 hours a week in an office and that alone has made me feel much more comfortable about the idea of working in an office after school,” C. Corley, Appalachian Underwriters Intern.