From those who lost their job to essential personnel who must work in-person during a public health crisis, coronavirus is taking its toll on local laborers.

Like many workers in Florida, and in the restaurant industry in particular, Walter Higdon found himself out of a job after new regulations and health guidelines related to COVID-19 went into effect.

Higdon worked as a cook at a Sarasota restaurant that cut staff when it suspended dine-in service by state mandate in mid-March. He also attended Suncoast Technical College, studying heating, ventilation and air conditioning work. That, too, was affected by the coronavirus — classes switched to remote instruction April 1.   Read More

CareerEdge Funders Collaborative, the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce’s workforce initiative, awarded $157,209 to train 164 employees at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Habitat for Humanity, Sarasota/STC Construction Students, Atlantic Mold & Machining Corp., and State Farm, George Quarterman. The total employer investment among the four companies for their employee training is $518,905.

Incumbent worker training increases skill sets, which leads to higher wages and employee retention. In return, the community benefits from an increased number of job opportunities as well as improved standard of living associated with increased wages. Over the past ten years, the average worker wage increased 7% in the first year after completing training funded by CareerEdge grants. Employer grant funding resulted in $30.4 million cumulative annual earnings gain from new and wage increases following CareerEdge training investments.

Employers will use the gran t funding for the following training priorities:
Habitat for Humanity Sarasota – Provide technical training, tools, and materials in a real-world construction environment on construction sites for the Industrial Technologies students at Suncoast Technical College.
Atlantic Mold & Machining Corp. – Increase worker machining capability that will allow them to remain competitive in a global market in CNC Milling, CNC Electric Discharge Machining, CNC Lathe Programming/Operation and CNC Wire, and EDM Machining.
Sarasota Memorial Hospital – Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training, BSN to RN educational initiatives, and Health Information Management technology training.
State Farm, George Quarterman – Create career-laddering opportunities across the company from entry-level customer service (440 license) to health and life certification (215 license) to agent owner license (220 license).

If your business needs to upskill or retrain due to COVID-19, CareerEdge has extended its deadline to apply for grant funding through August. To be eligible for funding businesses must be: Industry focused (manufacturing, health care, insurance, skilled trades – automotive or HVAC); Agree to train and close skills gaps for new or current workers; Design new “career ladders” with increased wages for workers that successfully complete training or streamline and integrate training i.e. cross training; Actively participate on the CareerEdge Funders Council; preference is given to current Sarasota Chamber of Commerce Members.Funding is limited and provided on a first come, first served basis. Interested businesses must submit a letter of interest by August 31st at 5 p.m. – those selected will be notified.