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Ranked No. 8 among all U.S. states for workforce training by Business Facilities magazine in 2022, Florida’s workforce is ready to go when you are.

Now that the pandemic is largely behind us, new and expanding businesses need skilled workers more than ever, and Florida is ready to supply them. At 10.6 million, Florida’s civilian workforce is third largest in the nation and one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse.

Excellence in the Classroom
Florida is home to 12 public universities and 28 public state and community colleges, plus dozens of private colleges, universities and technical schools, and no Floridian lives more than 50 miles from at least one of them. In 2022, for a fifth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report ranked Florida tops in the nation for higher education based on graduation rates, student debt and time needed to complete two- and four-year programs.

Florida’s colleges and universities are among the nation’s primary producers of STEM graduates and tech business activity. In 2021, Florida posted the largest year-over-year increase of net-new tech business establishments (+2,715) across the U.S. and second largest gain in tech jobs (+20,522) according to CompTIA Cyberstates 2022 “State of the Tech Workforce” report. And its community colleges — four of which have won the biennial Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence — are recognized among the nation’s best.

Florida’s K-12 schools earn accolades at the local level too. Among the first states to offer voluntary pre-kindergarten, Florida vaulted to No. 2 in the nation for successful Advanced Placement (AP) performance in 2021. Additionally, 23 Florida high schools earned places among the nation’s top 250 on U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 “Best High Schools” list; Miami’s School for Advanced Studies led nationally at No. 4.

On the Job Training
Training programs available through CareerSource Florida, the state’s innovative partnership for workforce training, make it possible for business owners to become fully operational and profitable in less time and at lower cost. The agency’s Quick Response Training and Incumbent Worker Training grants help companies keep pace with changing technologies as they recruit and train employees in cutting-edge skills.

The Employ Florida Marketplace platform helps job seekers find work and employers connect with prospective job candidates. And the new initiative “Get There Florida” partners the state’s 28 colleges and 48 technical colleges/centers to help students complete the necessary certifications and workforce credentials for high-demand jobs in manufacturing, logistics, transportation, health care and information technology.