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Technical Education |
| Florida's Skilled Labor Crisis - Legislative Update |
'The Florida Legislature Must Not Allow the State to Move One
Year Closer to a Crisis with the Skilled Technical Labor Shortage'
The chronic shortage of skilled technical labor is worsening,
and without increased funding from The Florida Legislature for Technical Education Centers,
our state will move one year closer to a crisis situation.
The situation is this: Approximately 80% of Florida’s fastest-growing occupations
require post secondary career and technical education -- not a four-year bachelor’s
degree. Some of these jobs include paramedics, nurses, police officers, firefighters, and
construction-related trades -- the people who help us in emergencies, take care of us when we
are sick, protect us and build our communities. Adding to this skyrocketing demand is that in
most of these trades and professions, there already exists a tight labor market where demand far
outpaces supply.
But while demand for these jobs is skyrocketing, the Florida Legislature failed to properly fund the
state’s most efficient engine to produce skilled technical labor -- technical education centers.
In fact, funding for technical centers actually decreased by 8 percent from 1997 to 2003.
Although this continued under-funding and lack of attention given to technical education has been
going unrecognized by our citizens and, in the recent session by the Florida Legislature,
it is no secret to Florida’s business community. In many situations, business growth is severely
limited because there is little or no skilled technical labor to hire. In a small but growing number
of instances, businesses are leaving Florida for other states, such as North Carolina, that
understand the importance of training skilled technical labor to meet the skyrocketing demand.
Florida citizens are beginning to feel the repercussions of the Florida Legislature not addressing this issue.
Prices for services provided by companies employing skilled technical labor are soaring, and there often is a
long line of customers in need of these types of services.
In this recent legislative session, although Representative Dennis Baxley of Ocala was a champion of this
issue in the House, the Senate did not address it. The end result was a small increase in funding -- $10
million -- that was substantially less than Governor Jeb Bush’s recommendation, and not even close to the
$100-plus million needed to begin to turn this situation around. Also, none of the Workforce Education
legislation, which included the creation of a separate State Chancellor for technical education, was even
addressed.
There is a growing concern among business leaders that if the Florida Legislature does not
address this issue, the state will face a crisis in five years or less. I will be working with business
leaders throughout the west coast of Florida to bring this to the Florida Legislature’s attention next year,
and I welcome any input or involvement that business leaders may have.
This article was written by Alan Zirkelbach, President of Zirkelbach Construction |
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