Sarasota News Leader

11/09/2012

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Sarasota News Leader November 9, 2012 The Sarasota News Leader reported in its Nov. 2 issue that the Sarasota County Tech- nical Institute already had taken one step in response to the survey: Sarasota County Schools officials have created a new program to certify 100 precision machinists within five years, with the first 25 students to enroll in August 2013. SCTI Director Todd Bowden told the Coun- ty Commission on Nov. 7 that manufacturers were looking for just the type of workers the program would produce. When Robinson asked how much of an impact those 100 graduates would have on filling in- dustry needs, Jennifer Schmidt, president of the Sarasota-Manatee Manufacturers Associa- tion, replied, "I wouldn't say [they would] put a small dent in solving the [skills gap] crisis. Page 42 … It will be a significant step in the right di- rection." Schmidt pointed out that the CareerEdge sur- vey showed manufacturers in the two coun- ties had multiple openings for 50 different types of job titles, and all of those positions were built upon the foundation the SCTI pro- gram would provide. That was why the collaboration with manu- facturers in addressing the skills gap was so important, Schmidt said. Moreover, she pointed out, after a year of training in the SCTI program and continued on-the-job learning, people who would start out at the middle skills job level making $12 to $15 per hour would move up within five or A slide in a presentation to the County Commission on Nov. 7 shows the earnings potential for middle-skills workers. Graphic courtesy CareerEdge

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