WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA is the region's workforce expert.
WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA (WCF) is the region’s workforce expert, an authority for workforce planning, programs and the labor market. WCF connects employers to the largest pool of talent in the area and provides worker resources and training. WCF prepares our community's residents for careers that meet local businesses' demands for today and into the future.
Utilizing more than $4.1 million in stimulus funding from the American Reinvestment & Recovery Act, WCF created the Summer Job Connection, a program that provided work experience for 1,200 young adults ages 16-21 in worksites including non-profit, government, public sector, emerging and green industries. The program provided nearly 293,000 hours of services for 225 local employers. Paychecks totaling nearly $2.4 million were released to the interns and into the Central Florida economy.
With the success of the Summer Job Connection, WCF launched a similar program with more than $4 million in stimulus funds, the Re-Employment Connection. This program provides employability skills and valuable work experience, but for adults, ages 22 and up. To date, the program, which will run through 2011, has placed 657 job seekers with 145 unique employers.
The Summer Job Connection and Re-Employment Connection programs have resulted in 127 permanent placements at host worksites. The WCF Employed Worker Training Awards program reimbursed more than $500,000 to more than 65 employers to enhance 2,785 employees' skills. WCF was awarded a $366,200 grant from Workforce Florida, under the Employ Florida Healthcare Workforce Initiative, to launch a project called "The Paperless Initiative." This healthcare grant will develop and prepare health informatics professionals that will meet employer demands, while fulfilling a push by the national government, for transition to electronic health records.
Designed for budding entrepreneurs and transitioning professionals, WCF created Launch 2.0, a skill building, networking and professional development event. This half-day event helped 400 attendees to hone their skills, strengths and talents and learn what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur or find a professional-level career.
WCF awarded a total of $50,000 in scholarships to 20 students from across five counties pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) and health. Since 2002, and including these 20 scholarships, WCF has awarded 110 scholarships to local students totaling $395,000.
WCF presented its third annual Workforce Champion Award to Randy Berridge, president of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, during the seventh annual State of the Workforce Summit, which welcomed more than 400 human resource professionals, business owners and managers for a half-day of breakout sessions about HR and workforce issues. Additionally, 10 WCF Awards of Excellence were presented to employers that adopted new, best practices in workforce development.
WCF provided 2,062 individual training scholarships totaling more than $6.9 million.
WCF's Partners for a Healthy Community (PHC) played a key role in the development of the Careers for Life exhibit at the Orlando Science Center by providing facilities and staff for the filming of a stroke scenario video and interview videos for each of the healthcare career kiosks.
WCF hosted eight job fairs, three events held throughout the region and five Virtual Job Fairs held online at www.WorkforceCentralFlorida.com/jobfair. Overall, 31,952 job seekers participated in these events.
CareerTrack, a unique program designed to motivate 18-21 year old young adults, served 233 people. Participants who completed the program qualified for up to $400 in financial incentives.
In an important early step of aligning our strategies with the region's expected economic growth, WCF hit a milestone – more than 40 students graduated from college programs funded by WCF that target the region's emerging industries: digital media, photonics and health informatics.
WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA UNIVERSITY offered eight human resource seminars to 240 area employers including topics such as Employee Misconduct and Workplace Torts; Performance Management; Discipline, Discharge and Documentation; and, The Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act of 2008.
WCF sponsored "The SimMan Road Show," an outreach program to increase awareness about healthcare careers to K-12 students that provided access to a SimMan patient simulator. The interactive, hands-on programming was developed by the Orlando Science Center and reached more than 2,000 students in our region.
WCF's two Mobile Units, 37-foot transportable computer labs and resource rooms on wheels, made 252 visits and assisted 97 businesses and 6,117 residents.
As a strategy to prevent 18-21 year olds from joining one of the city's 70 gangs, WCF, in partnership with the City of Orlando and Orange County Public Schools, enrolled 208 individuals into the YES program, which is designed to help young adults eliminate violence from their lives and prepare for their futures. Of those participants, 92 percent successfully completed the program, including 101 who obtained unsubsidized employment, 15 who entered long-term training, 14 who remained in school, 11 who entered a GED or high school program, and two who entered the military.
WCF provided direct placement assistance to more than 8,100 individuals, such as resume preparation, job referrals, coaching, job development and assessment. In fact, WCF experienced a 354 percent increase in labor market information provided and a 90 percent increase in job referrals issued.
Nine Central Florida chambers of commerce were awarded $5,000 grants from WCF to develop and deliver workshops covering topics like HR, retaining quality people, hiring strategies and other challenges facing businesses today.
To inspire Orlando–area youth to pursue high tech education and careers, WCF worked with Junior Achievement to create a College Discovery Day based on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). This pre-college early awareness program introduced 500 fifth graders to careers STEM. Students spent the day on the University of Central Florida campus visiting labs, participating in interactive sessions with STEM faculty and gaining exposure to the extra-curricular activities of college life.
To assist job seekers in Seminole County, WCF utilized stimulus dollars to open a temporary Resource Room in Sanford.
WCF hosted 292 In House Recruitment events, which allow job seekers to meet one-on-one with area employers in a WCF office. Employers hired for positions such as administrative assistants, census takers, mental healthcare professionals and cable installers.
WCF received five MarCom awards for its communications programs including two platinum awards, the awards program's highest honor; two gold awards; and one honorable mention. The MarCom Awards is an international competition for marketing and communication professionals involved in the design of print, Web, visual and audio materials and programs.
The WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA board of directors is vital to WCF's success, as members provide a solid connection to the community the organization serves. The WCF board is charged with setting policies and governing the organization to ensure its vision becomes a reality.
