House Bill 7071 recently became law in the state of Florida. The legislation also established the SAIL to 60 initiative which aims to increase the number of working-age Floridians with a high-value postsecondary certificate, degree, or training experience to 60% by 2030.
Six leaders including, Michael Preston Ed. D., Executive Director of the Florida Consortium attended the Lumina Foundation’s annual state policy meeting. Led by Nicole Washington, Lumina’s state policy director, representatives from Career Source Florida, Complete College Florida, the State College System, and the Florida College Access Network worked together to develop strategies to increase the number of credentials awarded and support the state’s employment needs.
Throughout the meeting, adult education, in particular, was identified as an untapped area of opportunity. Today, there are over 1.5 million Floridians have some college but no degree. Collectively leaders believe that by re-engaging Floridians that are just a few credits short of completion, the state’s skills gap and employment needs can be addressed quickly. Throughout the meeting, this team developed strategies and established a framework for ongoing collaboration. Here is a summary of that work:
1. Align data using common definitions to ensure this work moves in the same direction.
2. Leverage employer led tuition assistance programs to encourage degree attainment for full-time employees.
3. Asset map across the state to avoid duplicating programs and services.
4. Create a culture of equity that includes underserved communities while working toward college affordability for all families.
In closing, Florida Consortium member institutions: Florida International University, University of Central Florida, and University of South Florida are statewide leaders in student success amongst adult learners. Collectively each institution has designed completion grants and established pathways to attract and or engage returning students. In fact, FIU and USF were recently recognized by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities for their work in closing equity gaps without sacrificing quality, as a result over the past four years 5,100 more students achieved their degrees. Sail to 60 can be achieved by sharing best practices and successful student interventions.
In the coming week’s comprehensive plans to support the Sail to 60 effort will be rolled out to ensure every Floridian advances their academic and career goals.