MANATEE/SARASOTA, FL (September 29, 2011) – CareerEdge Funders Collaborative Manatee Sarasota will celebrate the graduation of 10 individuals from its “Bridges to Careers” workforce-readiness training on Tuesday, Oct. 4.  Seven of the 10 previously unemployed workers in this inaugural training class have already secured full-time jobs with a local manufacturer.

“It felt great to make a commitment to this group of individuals and be able to say to them, ‘We delivered,’ ” said Jennifer Carp, senior program director at CareerEdge.  “We promised them training, improved lives, and access to employment, and we are providing just that.”

The class that is set to graduate on Tuesday consists of residents from neighborhoods targeted by the Bradenton Central Community Redevelopment Agency for economic development and rehabilitation.  The Manatee Economic Development Council helped bring CareerEdge together with Suncoast Workforce to present the Bridges to Careers participants to manufacturer Berry Plastics.  Seven of the trainees have already been hired by the company.

“During our recent job fair, the CareerEdge participants definitely stood out from the rest,” said Martha Atkins, human resources manager at Berry Plastics.  “We were very impressed by their promptness, their appearance, their terrific attitudes, and their preparedness.  With little notice, they made arrangements to meet with me again and were ready to start work immediately.”

At the request of Berry Plastics’ plant manager, CareerEdge will help the company recruit and train another class of workers in October.  “We are adding some new lines starting in October and will need anywhere from 10 to 20 more employees,” said Atkins.  “We would like those new employees to be ones who have shown their dedication by participating in the CareerEdge program.”

Bridges to Careers helps unemployed residents from low-income areas in Manatee and Sarasota counties enhance their skills and earning potential through formal skills training and credentialing for the workforce.  The program complements other CareerEdge training that is aimed at incumbent workers in low-skilled positions who need training to move up the career ladder and earn higher pay.

Funding for Bridges to Careers comes specifically from a grant from Microsoft and a grant from Jane’s Trust.  Carp also noted the contributions of others in coordinating and executing the Bridges to Careers training.  “The Bradenton Central Community Redevelopment Agency was a great partner in helping us put this training together,” she said. “We were able to bring State College of Florida and training consultants Mileo and Associates to the table to help facilitate trainings, and they went above and beyond in serving these participants.”

Microsoft’s grant to CareerEdge aimed to provide at least 200 individuals in the Manatee-Sarasota region with job-readiness training and job placement. Since March, CareerEdge has served 540 individuals through the grant, helping them gain credentials and get back to work.  Besides the individuals in Tuesday’s graduating class, CareerEdge has worked directly with employers such as PGT Industries and Tervis to train workers with funding from Microsoft.

The grant will help further CareerEdge’s efforts to expand its programs and its reach, increasing the number of low- and mid-wage individuals in Manatee and Sarasota counties who receive skills assessment and training through their employers in order to improve their employment opportunities.

“Pervasive unemployment is a critical issue and low-income populations are often the last to be hired into livable wage jobs,” said Douglas Sherman, market president for West Central Florida, Bank of America. “We are pleased to collaborate with CareerEdge to help fund local job training programs, offering low-income families a way to overcome barriers and achieve economic self-sufficiency.”
Since May 2010, CareerEdge has partnered with nine employers to train more than 1,200 workers over the next two years. The organization has estimated that 75 percent of these workers will receive an average raise of $2.33 per hour.
“We were thrilled to find out CareerEdge was the recipient of Bank of America’s $75,000 grant,” said Mireya Eavey, executive director of CareerEdge. “Through Bank of America’s program, we’ll be able to edge closer to our goals of providing employers with skilled employees, helping low- and mid-income workers achieve family-sustaining wages, and helping advance the region’s economic viability.”
About CareerEdge CareerEdge is an innovative partnership of business, civic, and philanthropic organizations that leverage public and private dollars to provide opportunities for better jobs and wages in Manatee and Sarasota counties. The first regional collaborative of workforce investors in the southeastern United States to be designated as a site of the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, CareerEdge was created with funding from John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, City of Bradenton Central Community Redevelopment Agency, Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice, Bank of America, Bradenton 14th Street Community Redevelopment Agency, Bradenton Downtown Development Authority, and Manatee Community Action Agency. It is also supported by contributions from Microsoft, City of Sarasota Newtown CRA, Sarasota County Government Jane’s Trust, and Suncoast Workforce. For more information about CareerEdge and its partners, please visit www.careeredgefunders.org or call 941-744-2661.
About Bank of America:Bank of America is one of the world’s largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small- and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 59 million consumer and small business relationships with 6,000 retail banking offices, more than 18,000 ATMs and award-winning online banking with nearly 30 million active users. Bank of America is among the world’s leading wealth management companies and is a global leader in corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to more than 4 million small business owners through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients in more than 150 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
About Bank of America Corporate Philanthropy:Building on a long-standing tradition of investing in the communities it serves, last year Bank of America embarked on a new, 10-year goal to donate $2 billion to nonprofit organizations engaged in improving the health and vitality of their neighborhoods. Funded by Bank of America, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation gave more than $200 million in 2009, making the bank one of the largest corporate cash donors in the United States.  Bank of America approaches investing through a national strategy under which it works with local leaders to identify and meet the most pressing needs of individual communities.  Reaffirming a commitment to develop and sustain a culture of service, the bank announced the “Million Hour Challenge,” a pledge by the company’s associates around the world to donate 1 million volunteer hours by the end of 2010. In 2009, bank associate volunteers contributed more than 800,000 hours to enhance the quality of life in their communities nationwide. For more information about Bank of America Corporate Philanthropy, please visit www.bankofamerica.com/foundation.

SARASOTA, Fla. (April 13, 2011) – CareerEdge, an area nonprofit that helps low-wage workers improve their skills and local businesses to find skilled employees, today announced it has partnered with State College of Florida Workforce Solutions to provide the Florida Ready to Work placement test to 150 applicants.

CareerEdge, through a grant from Microsoft’s Elevate America community initiative, will cover the cost of the placement tests that will help PGT, one of the nation’s largest window and door manufacturers and one of the largest employers in Sarasota, employ 150 people by June 30. CareerEdge will also provide soft-skill training and observation tests to 200 of PGT’s recently hired employees.

“Our partnership with CareerEdge assists PGT in getting members of our community back to work more quickly and provides additional training and support to foster their success after hire,” said Alicia Adams, senior human resources manager at PGT Industries. “We have embraced the Florida Ready to Work program because candidates for manufacturing, glass operations and supply chain positions must meet WorkKeys testing requirements to be considered for employment.”

Applicants who complete the program earn a credential certifying that they have the foundational skills required for most entry-level jobs.

“With the addition of hundreds of new positions at the Florida facility we can maintain a qualified candidate pool and meet a challenging hiring schedule with the help of CareerEdge,” Adams said.

While Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the month of February was up slightly to 11.5 percent, according to the Agency for Workforce Innovation, unemployment is as high as 30 percent in segments of our communities, Sarasota Mayor Kelly Kirschner said in a recent statement.

CareerEdge focuses on preparing residents in low-income areas for careers in healthcare, manufacturing, transportation and technology. CareerEdge has worked with the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County to connect with manufacturing employers like PGT.

“Thanks to generous gifts from Microsoft and other funders, we are able to partner with PGT and State College to help unemployed individuals in our region find entry-level jobs,” said Mireya Eavey, executive director of CareerEdge. “Through these grants, CareerEdge will provide career counseling and technology skills training and will prove to be a valuable resource to the people who need it most.”

Job seekers may visit www.pgtindustries.com to apply for the placement test.

About Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County

The EDC of Sarasota County is the private, not-for-profit corporation leading the community’s economic development strategy to add high-wage jobs and diversify the local economy. The EDC provides business assistance to companies in Sarasota County and helps forge solutions to community challenges that affect quality of life. The EDC works in partnership with chambers of commerce, local governments and other organizations throughout the county and the region. For more information, visit www.edcsarasotacounty.com.

About PGT

Founded in 1980, PGT® pioneered the U.S. impact-resistant window and door industry and today is the nation’s leading manufacturer and supplier of residential impact-resistant windows and doors. Utilizing the latest designs and technology, PGT products are ideal for new construction and replacement projects serving the residential, commercial, high-rise and institutional markets. PGT’s product line includes PGT® Aluminum and Vinyl Windows and Doors; WinGuard® and PremierVueTM Impact-Resistant Windows and Doors; PGT® Architectural Systems; PGT® SpectraGuardTM; and Eze-Breeze® Sliding Panels. PGT Industries is a wholly owned subsidiary of PGT, Inc. (NASDAQ: PGTI). For additional information visit pgtindustries.com.

Representatives from the National Fund for Workforce Solution will visit the two-county region of their latest branch in Manatee and Sarasota counties on Aug. 4, a final step for the Manatee Sarasota Workforce Funders Collaborative gaining a national designation.

The National Fund for Workforce Solutions is dedicated to preparing jobseekers and employees for a career, not just a job. It brings together local and regional leaders from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors to spark and drive innovation and works hand-in-hand to create practices and systems that can help employers and employees succeed in a post-recession economy.

“It is an honor to be invited to apply for the prestigious National Fund designation,” said Sherod Halliburton, Executive Director of the Bradenton Central Community Redevelopment Agency and co-chairman of the Manatee Sarasota Workforce Funders Collaborative. “This visit is the culmination of almost two years worth of fundraising, organizing, and planning.”

Representatives will tour the State College of Florida’s Medical Technology & Simulation Center in Lakewood Ranch, a two-story, 40,000-square-foot building where nursing and other healthcare students will train in a state-of-the-art simulated hospital setting. The center will feature sophisticated adult and infant simulation technology in intensive care units, a birthing room, nursing assessment lab and science laboratories and classrooms.

The new building will be SCF’s first “green” building with LEED certification when it opens this year. With support from local legislators, the state provided $8.9 million for planning and construction. The Foundation for SCF provided almost $2 million in a combination of fundraising and matched funds by the state. The property was donated by Schroeder-Manatee Ranch.

Continuing education credits and other certifications and specializations needed to meet the continuing education needs of physicians, nurses and emergency care personnel also will be available at the MTS Center. Early childhood education and Educator Preparation Institute classrooms also are included in the building.

An emerging, two-county workforce collaborative will provide a wide range of education, training and support services with dual goals: helping prepare local residents for higher skilled jobs while providing businesses with the workers they need to remain competitive.

The collaborative, an intermediary between workers and potential employers, will focus on four industries – healthcare, manufacturing, transportation and technology. All provide career paths and family sustaining wages.

The collaborative announced today that it has received, among other commitments, a $1 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The grant will be used to launch the collaborative’s first strategic agenda item: responding to the growing need and opportunities for skilled healthcare workers in the Manatee Sarasota Region.

“This region’s employers and its working families face long-standing challenges – challenges that a short-term focus on the current economic crisis or another job placement program could not meet,” said Meredith Hector, Bradenton program director for Knight Foundation. “The collaborative provides a long-term, industry-specific intervention strategy that can help transform the local workforce and economy.”

According to a recent labor analysis conducted by the collaborative, healthcare and social assistance comprise the largest source of employment in Sarasota County (15%) and third-largest in Manatee County (10%). The pay growth rate, size, and average pay are expected to increase based on the analysis.

The grant will be leveraged with an additional $500,000 in funds from current and future members of the collaborative that include the following organizations: Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice; City of Bradenton Central Community Redevelopment Agency (CCRA); Bradenton Downtown Development Authority; Suncoast Workforce Board; Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce; local hospitals; and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. As a next step, the collaborative will be reaching out to the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, a 5-year, $30 million national effort designed to foster and share similar activities in other U.S. regions.

Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice will invest $150,000 and will also oversee the fiscal operations of the collaborative. “This is a great opportunity for organizations in both counties to work together on a significant issue: creating high paying jobs,” said Mark Pritchett, vice president for community investment for Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice, and co-chair of the collaborative.

“This is just the beginning,” said Sherod Halliburton, executive director of the City of Bradenton CCRA, and co-chair of the collaborative. “We are inviting investment, partnerships, and insights because there is so much to accomplish.” The CCRA, a $200,000 funder, will help bolster resource management for the collaborative. The Bradenton Downtown Development Authority also contributed $200,000.

The Community Briefing was hosted by the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce at the Holiday Inn Sarasota Bradenton Airport, 8009 15th Street East, Sarasota, Florida.

About the Manatee Sarasota Workforce Funders Collaborative

The Collaborative is dedicated to moving low-wage workers into higher-paying jobs while providing employers with the skilled employees they need. This “dual customer” approach is critical to ensuring employers have access to qualified employees, working residents earn family-sustaining wages, and the region is both economically sustainable and competitive.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation advances journalism in the digital age and invests in the vitality of communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Knight Foundation focuses on projects that promote community engagement and lead to transformational change. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.

About the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice

Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice builds strong communities through leadership, partnership, and endowed philanthropy. A public charity committed to improving the quality of life in the communities it serves, it is the largest community foundation in Florida with assets of approximately $200 million. The Foundation was founded in late 1995 and has awarded $92 million in grants in the areas of arts and culture, health and human services, education, civic affairs, and the environment. The Board of the Foundation envisions a region known for endowed philanthropy, a vital nonprofit community, and the ability to address emerging issues. For more information about the Foundation, visit www.gulfcoastcf.org.

About the City of Bradenton Central Community Redevelopment Agency

The Central Community Redevelopment Agency is charged with improving the physical, social and economic conditions of the central and east neighborhoods in the City of Bradenton. A portion of taxes derived from properties in the district is used by the Central CRA board to make improvements within the district in the form of infrastructure, job creation and development, rehabilitation of homes and properties and attracting businesses to move within the district’s boundaries. The City created the Central CRA in 2001.

About The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce

The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce is a nearly 1,800-member, not-for-profit organization that exists to maximize its members’ success, the community’s competitiveness, and the area’s economic strength. Incorporated in 1920, it continues to grow at a rapid pace to serve the educational, social, governmental, and economic and leadership development needs of the greater Sarasota area and is the bridge that links businesses, organizations and residents together with innovative programs that strengthen long-term economic vitality, business success, job creation and quality of life.