$9M Triumph grant to help Santa Rosa students to train for 'jobs of tomorrow'

Santa Rosa County District Schools are in line to receive $9 million from Triumph Gulf Coast as a down payment toward the creation of a Santa Rosa Center for Innovation.

The center’s stated mission is to inspire a next generation of leaders by creating an environment where students can explore, experiment and innovate.

"The Santa Rosa Center for Innovation will serve as a beacon of learning excellence, bridging the gap between education and the workforce, and preparing students for the jobs of tomorrow," Superintendent Karen Barber said in a news release issued Monday. “The award of this grant marks a pivotal moment in our mission to provide world-class education opportunities for our students.”

For decades, a summary of the project said, business and industry leaders have communicated their concerns about a lack of technical skills in students leaving high school.

Currently approximately 25% of the Santa Rosa School District student population is enrolled in career and technical education, and the School District sees an opportunity to bridge the skills gap, a district summary of its plans for the facility said. The Center for Innovation has been designed to align students with modern industry demands.

"As students gain proficiency in cutting edge technologies, they will be better positioned to enter industries that are driving economic growth and innovation," the summary said. "The Center for Innovation will allow students to be exposed to the skills needed in the region’s targeted industries at an earlier age."

A STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathmatics)-based curriculum will be offered at the center, the district press release said, "Ensuring that students are well-prepared for the demands of the modern workforce."

The fields of aviation, cybersecurity, aerospace and defense as well as manufacturing, distribution and logistics will be initially prioritized, with an eye toward change if and when regional economic priorities change.

All of the areas of expertise receiving initial focus are those needed in Santa Rosa County at this time, as industrial parks are being built to focus on the aviation and distribution industries and the county's collaborative work with the Armed Services is drawing praise from both civilian and military quarters.

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"We worked together with the school district and aligned their educational needs with our economic development needs," said Shannon Ogletree, the county's director of economic development. "It's a true partnership. We're lining up the kids' skills to the companies we're trying to bring in."

The district plans to enlist businesses and establish partnerships to "leverage key regional assets such as the University of West Florida, University of Florida, Locklin Technical College," as well as military installations such as Naval air stations Whiting and Hurlburt fields, the summary said. "This project will allow them to be a part of the talent supply solution."

The Triumph Gulf Coast Board of Directors took up the School District request at its Thursday meeting. The board has been charged with distributing hundreds of millions of dollars to Northwest Florida counties in funds paid out by BP and others as part of a legal settlement following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The district's Center for Innovation concept received "pre-approval" Thursday, Ogletree said. A next step will involve the board and the School District creating a "term sheet" hammering out deal details. The funding agreement would be finalized with a signed contract in step three of the process.

The center will offer educational opportunities for students in grades K-12. The program analysis noted there are limited opportunities for some elementary and middle school students to engage in hands-on career and technical education learning opportunities due to time restrictions during the instructional day.

Students will be able to participate in classes at the center during the school day, after school, for summer camp and on weekends, the project summary said.

They will have the opportunity to earn industry-recognized certifications, thus increasing their competitiveness in the job market and providing a clear pathway to future success, according to the district press release.

"Our goals for this center will be to increase career awareness and opportunities for place-based learning in our community, increase collaboration among business, industry, and education, and increase enrollment and industry certification attainment among all (career and technical education) programs in Santa Rosa County Schools," Charlin Knight, Director of Workforce Education, said in the district release.

District officials were able to report to Triumph that they expect to produce 9,788 industry certifications over eight years and it is projected that household incomes will increase by just under $91 per dollar spent by Triumph, Triumph staff analysis said. That makes the project one of the highest return on investments of any Triumph award to date.

"For these reasons, staff rates this program 'A' in terms of economic impact," it said.

The $9 million grant will cover almost half of the $18.9 million total cost to bring the Center for Innovation on line, according to the project summary. It mentions planned efforts to seek grants to assist in covering the cost of technology.

Kyle Holley, Santa Rosa County's local technology planning team leader, met with school officials Friday and is putting together a grant application for $4 million to the State Office of Broadband. The office has $86 million in funds it will distribute to workforce career and technical education programs like the Center for Innovation.

Holley said he believes the project proposed by the School District will easily rank within the top 10% of grant applicants, and could be "the No. 1 or No. 2 project in the state."

The School District has located a recently renovated manufacturing space in the Milton area where it intends to locate the center. The project summary said the district had entered into a lease with intent to buy agreement that was contingent upon the award of Triumph funding.

"This acquisition expedites the time frame for renovations required to convert from manufacturing to educational use," the summary said.

The Triumph grant will be used to purchase career training education curriculum, materials, equipment and hire instructors "in areas that include but are not limited to coding, 3D printing, robotics, engineering, electronics, artificial intelligence, healthcare, agriculture, automotive, energy, and the construction/trades," according to the summary.

"Students will be provided access to cutting-edge technology, tools, and resources to explore, create, and innovate while creating a pipeline of future talent to supply a regional workforce," the summary said. "The programs will allow students to experiment with real world situations and prepare for the workforce while increasing industry certification attainment."

The funds will also be used for building renovations and the cost of the lease, along with the cost of purchasing the property where the Center for Innovation will be built, the School District release said.

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This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Triumph OK's $9 million for Santa Rosa Center for Innovation