Employ Florida Banner Centers

What are Employ Florida Banner Centers and where did the concept originate?

The concept surfaced formally in the 2004-2009 Roadmap to Florida’s Future and remains a world-class talent component of the latest economic development blueprint for Florida—the 2007-2010 plan. Workforce Florida, Inc., charged with serving as a catalyst for developing workforce talent in Florida, responded to the call with the creation of Employ Florida Banner Centers. Based on what the Roadmap says about these centers, which were referred to as Workforce Education Cluster Centers, the guiding principles are:

1. Become the intersection between education and businesses in Florida’s targeted industry sectors.
2. Enhance existing industry knowledge as the statewide nexus for information related to the workforce needs of a targeted industry.
3. Create industry-driven workforce development products and services valued by businesses designed to train a globally competitive workforce.
4. Support the pipeline development needs of the industry from entry-level to advanced workers.
5. Deliver workforce development products, services, training, and access to certifications valued by industry.
6. Expand delivery through partnerships with industry and other educational facilities across the state; secondary and postsecondary, public and private.
7. Promote and support economic development in a targeted industry throughout the state.
8. Utilize the value of products and services developed to create income/revenue streams.
9. Apply a business model for becoming a self-sustaining entity within five years.

They were given the name Banner Centers because they are designed to serve as the leading resource and focal point to address the state’s economic priority of increasing talent in high-skill, high-wage targeted sectors.

What do they do and who is involved?

With the first center designated in 2006, Banner Centers are designed to serve as a statewide, go-to resource for cutting-edge training for entry-level and experienced workers who need to upgrade their skills in high-value sectors such as biotechnology, aviation/aerospace, health sciences, logistics and distribution, construction, energy, alternative energy, digital media and manufacturing. Each Banner Center is led by a Florida community college or university, using existing infrastructure to serve as its home base, designed to become new industry focused business units within the college.

Banner Centers partner with industry in targeted sectors to identify training needs and, among other things, create new curricula. A key objective is to create timely and relevant training that can be shared across multiple educational institutions for access by businesses in other areas of the state, thus reducing duplication. In other words, you can create it in one place and use it in another without another institution having to start from the beginning to address identical industry training needs in its community. Currently, there are 11 Banner Centers involving at least 27 different educational partners.

What’s the Value of Banner Centers for Florida Business?

Consider the workforce of 2020. According to labor market statistics, more than 70 percent of Florida’s current labor force will still be in the state’s workforce 12 years from now. That’s why skills upgrade training is critical to businesses and critical to Florida’s future. Banner Centers are being designed to respond to these needs in a way that hadn’t previously existed before in Florida with workforce, education and industry all working together through postsecondary institutions to address existing, real-time and emerging needs for training.

How are they funded?

Workforce Florida has invested more than $8.8 million in state general revenue and federal Workforce Investment Act funding to create the Banner Centers. Another $8 million has been leveraged through education and industry partnerships.

With support from Governor Charlie Crist, the 2008 Florida Legislature approved $1.5 million in funding for Florida’s existing Banner Centers. At its May 15, 2008, meeting, Workforce Florida’s Board of Directors approved $3.3 million in additional funding to support current centers as well as to establish new centers tied to state priorities, including one focused on bolstering skilled talent to support Florida’s water needs.  

For additional information, please contact:

Adriane Glenn Grant
Director of External Affairs
agrant@workforceflorida.com
(Media Inquiries)

Andra Cornelius
Vice President, Business Outreach
acornelius@workforceflorida.com
(General Inquiries)

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