Employ Florida Banner Centers

Efforts to ensure the skills of Florida manufacturing workers are as modern as the microchips, metals and medical devices they make every day is the chief goal of the Employ Florida Banner Center for Manufacturing.

Headquartered on the Hillsborough Community College (HCC) Brandon Campus, and operating since August 2006, the Banner Center is a consortium of academic, workforce, economic development and industry partners.

The center provides curriculum and training, as well as certification resources and support for the continuation and expansion of Florida’s manufacturing industries. Accordingly, the initiative serves as a resource center for creating a unified workforce education and training system to meet the needs of Florida’s advanced manufacturing industry.

Industry representation on the center’s advisory council provides oversight to ensure that activities continue to support industry’s needs. Representatives on the council include executives from Biomet Microfixation, Colomer USA, Duratek, Florida’s Natural Growers, FTSI, Haller Industries, IsoAid, Jabil Circuits, Knight’s Armament Company, Lockheed Martin, Manufacturers Association of Florida, PGT Industries, Precast Technologies and Tropicana.

Through the Banner Center and with its partners, Hillsborough Community College has created ready-for-the-marketplace training curricula with industry input that prepares entry-level and incumbent workers to test for the Certified Production Technician (CPT) credential. The CPT was developed by the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC) and is endorsed by the National Association of Manufacturers. The Banner Center curricula focus on five areas: employability skills, safety, quality, production processes and maintenance awareness.

Several community colleges and corporate partners across the state have begun using the curricula to train workers. The Banner Center also enjoys strong support from the Manufacturers Association of Florida as well as regional manufacturing organizations throughout the state.

Joining HCC as founding partners are:

Since its start, the Banner Center for Manufacturing has provided increasing value to Florida’s manufacturers by, among other things:

• Being among the first in the nation to develop training curricula that aligns with the MSSC’s CPT Certification
• Delivering newly developed training to the unemployed and underemployed through partnerships with Regional Workforce Boards and community colleges statewide
• Supporting the integration of the Banner Center’s curricula into career academies in support of the Florida Career and Professional Education (CAPE) Act
• Establishing nine certified MSSC Assessment Centers in Florida
• Disseminating manufacturing training and career information to more than 1,700 job seekers
• Partnering with industry and academic training providers to train entry-level/incumbent workers

The Banner Center for Manufacturing also has garnered national attention from other state’s interested in Florida’s innovative approach to creating cutting-edge new training for this high-skill, high-wage industry.

For additional information, click here.

An equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. All voice telephone numbers on this web site may be reached by persons using TTY/TDD equipment via the Florida Relay Service at 711.