Where should we start?

As the number of cases of COVID-19 continues to grow in the United States, Florida has been hit especially hard. Our good fortune in the spring has shifted for everyone here in the Sunshine State. However, Floridians are well equipped to endure because just like a hurricane we know, in time, the storm will pass. And when it does Florida will be ready. This is especially true when it comes to economic recovery.

Prior to the pandemic the state of Florida enjoyed a thriving economy. Unemployment was hovering around 2%. In fact, 2020 was poised to be a great year for employment in Florida. Of course, we know that has changed. The coronavirus has hit Florida’s economy especially hard because many of the largest employers are in the tourism and travel industries. To date, over 1.5 million Floridians have been furloughed or laid-off. Nearly one million of those jobs are in Miami, Orlando, and Tampa Bay where Florida Consortium member institutions are located. Unemployment has now skyrocketed to 14.5%.

While there seems to be plenty of bad news to go around Florida Consortium member institutions believe large metropolitan universities have a unique opportunity. They are leaders in their respective communities. Before the pandemic Florida International University, University of Central Florida, and University of South Florida, were already leading the way in economic opportunity. In partnership with university presidents, the Florida Consortium held economic forums in Orlando in January and Miami in February. We were poised to begin developing a career ecosystem fueled on direct engagement between employers and universities using the language of skills. The model was (and is) simple. Together we create a bridge by translating the skills desired by employers to curricular and co-curricular outcomes to illuminate a clearer path for talent to reach their needed destination. In this scenario everyone would win!

Metropolitan universities are anchors for high skill talent in the regions we serve. Together over 75% of our FIU, UCF, USF graduates stay and work in Florida making these institutions, three of the top talent retention universities in the United States. According to data provided by EMSI, 1 in 5 workers in Miami, Orlando, and Tampa Bay with a bachelor’s degree has one from FIU, UCF, or USF. When employers begin to emerge from this pandemic, they will not have to look far for the talent they need to drive and achieve their business objectives.

While the emergence of COVID-19 has delayed our ecosystem work, the Florida Consortium is ready. We have been working with our partners at EMSI and Burning Glass to design an alternative, a skills focused plan to connect employers with talent through asset mapping. Asset mapping will allow universities to analyze programs and services currently in place and recontextualize them to help students convey their skills and ultimately kick start their careers. This will also connect employers to the talent they need. Overall, we have the tools we need to lead our cities back to recovery; we just need to use them.

Beginning this summer we will be working to:

  1. Develop a needs assessment to better understand what industries need and which ones are ready to hire.
    2. Build a comprehensive asset map of programs and services aligned to NACE Skills Desired by Employers.
    3. Repurpose resources to help learners hone skills including the ones they acquire outside the classroom throughout their academic journey
    4. Convene leaders and operationalize plans to address talent needs

We know this is a bold initiative, but it is one worth exploring. Afterall, great cities, need great universities. We intend on being the way forward for our metropolitan regions.

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