{"id":13981,"date":"2016-05-13T13:38:17","date_gmt":"2016-05-13T17:38:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mcreativepr.com\/?p=13981"},"modified":"2016-05-13T13:38:17","modified_gmt":"2016-05-13T17:38:17","slug":"13981","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mcreativepr.com\/2016\/05\/13\/13981\/","title":{"rendered":"FutureMakers Coalition announces regional outcomes; Goal to transform Southwest Florida\u2019s workforce by 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"FutureMakers<\/a><\/p>\n

FORT MYERS, Fla. (May 13, 2016) \u2013The FutureMakers Coalition<\/a> recently reached a major milestone by setting its regional outcomes.<\/p>\n

The goal of FutureMakers is to transform Southwest Florida\u2019s workforce by increasing the number of college degrees, certificates or other high-quality credentials from 27 percent to 40 percent by 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cOutcomes help us understand the impact of the Coalition\u2019s work,\u201d said Tessa LeSage, director of social innovation and sustainability for the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, the backbone organization for FutureMakers Coalition. \u201cWhere impact is not realized, we can use the data to help us adapt. Setting outcomes and measuring impact regularly creates a mechanism for continuous improvement. These outcomes have been vetted among Champions, and Regional and County Action team partners in meetings and in online forums.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to LeSage, the basis for these outcomes that were adapted for Southwest Florida originally came from other communities that are engaging in this same work and are supported by practice and research as important steps toward post-secondary attainment and regional vitality. The outcomes fall within five key areas of the Coalition\u2019s focus: aspiration and preparation, access and entry, progress and persistence, and completion and data.<\/p>\n

A sampling of the regional outcomes include:<\/p>\n

Aspiration and Preparation:\u00a0<\/strong>Increase percentage of students ready to enter kindergarten<\/p>\n

Access and Entry<\/strong>: Increase\u00a0Free Application for Federal Student Aid\u00a0(<\/strong>FAFSA) completion rates<\/p>\n

Progress and Persistence<\/strong>: Increase business-education partnerships<\/p>\n

Completion<\/strong>: Increase number of local post-secondary graduates placed in jobs in the region<\/p>\n

\u201cA year ago we launched the formation of the FutureMakers Coalition, and today we have the syllabus for what this Coalition is going to achieve,\u201d said Sarah Owen, president and CEO of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation.<\/p>\n

The Coalition is made up of regional partners in the areas of education, government, business and nonprofit, citizen stakeholders and advocates committed to creating a cradle-to-career pathway to ensure success for traditional students and adult learners.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur economy is desperate for a skilled and technically proficient workforce,\u201d said Bill McCormick, director of Fort Myers Technical College and a FutureMaker. \u201cThe FutureMakers Coalition\u2019s goal is in direct alignment with the core mission of our region\u2019s five public technical colleges: offer focused, short-term, post-secondary career training which leads directly to a technical certificate or industry certification but most importantly, a well-paying career.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWorkforce is becoming the economic development incentive,\u201d said Brent Kettler, director of the Hendry County Economic Development Council and a FutureMaker.\u00a0 \u201cEducation discussions used to just be with educators, and workforce discussions used to just be with workforce taskforces, and the same with economic development. Today all these partners are talking together and working together, and this is how we will transform our community for the better.\u201d<\/p>\n

The list of vetted and prioritized outcomes is now ready for the next step in the Coalition: Data will be collected and reported in each of the areas, and future efforts will focus on programs already occurring and ones that can be developed in each of the areas.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy collaborating and focusing on improving the numbers, we can be part of making our counties, region, state and nation a more competitive place for economic prosperity and quality of life,\u201d Kettler added. \u201cData can be the catalyst for real change. Not unlike the rest of the country, we have serious issues, but data creates positive momentum for this region we love.\u201d<\/p>\n

The FutureMakers Coalition is one of Lumina Foundation\u2019s 75 national Community Partners in Attainment. Residents are encouraged to join and support this community-changing initiative. For more information, visit\u00a0www.FutureMakersCoalition.com<\/a>, call 239-274-5900 or email Tessa LeSage at\u00a0TLeSage@floridacommunity.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FORT MYERS, Fla. (May 13, 2016) \u2013The FutureMakers Coalition recently reached a major milestone by setting its regional outcomes. The goal of FutureMakers is to transform Southwest Florida\u2019s workforce by…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,1],"tags":[5366,4191,6414,5406,5369,3459,59,5411,16,17,1046,716,590,796,1047,2348,1297,2882,2740,4198,1159,19,3853,2311,4199,3326,6038,5413,1590,5147],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcreativepr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13981"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcreativepr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcreativepr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mcreativepr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mcreativepr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13981"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mcreativepr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13981\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcreativepr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mcreativepr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mcreativepr.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}