Today’s learners are tomorrow’s earners
In order to compete on a global stage, Florida’s economy must continue its forward momentum and not only create 1.62 million net new jobs by 2030, but ensure our future workforce is prepared to fill these positions – after all, today’s learners are tomorrow’s earners.
The future belongs to all Floridians, and we must take steps to ensure we keep Florida, Florida while growing and diversifying our economy through job creation and securing access to opportunities for all. The workforce needed to grow Florida from the 15th largest global economy to the 10th largest is currently in Florida’s education pipeline and it needs our investment to remain competitive.
According to the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Florida Workforce Needs Study, 73% of job creators are having trouble recruiting qualified candidates and 52 percent are saying new talent hired still requires additional training. The root of our current workforce crisis and existing skills gap can be traced back to the lack of equal opportunities at earned success from an early age.
Understanding that Florida businesses have a unique opportunity to lead Florida toward a model that ensures every Floridian has the opportunity to secure their future, the Florida Chamber Foundation launched the Florida Equality of Opportunity Initiative. This aligns the efforts of the Florida Business Alliance for Early Learning Project, working to ensure 100% of third-graders are reading at grade level, the Florida Prosperity Project, aimed at cutting childhood poverty in half and ensuring 100% have a pathway out, and the Florida Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Project, championing private sector led diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace.
Florida is showing America what is possible, but we need your involvement. Breaking the cycle of generational poverty and inequality of opportunities is not only the right thing to do, but also a smart business investment for Florida’s workforce.
Talent development starts young. A child’s future success can be greatly impacted by where they live, and research shows many students living in high poverty areas have fewer resources and often perform at lower academic levels than children living in higher socioeconomic income areas. This matters because a child’s early education performance can affect earning opportunities in the future and throughout their life, as well as the future talent pool available for job creators.
As of now, only 50% of children in Florida are ready for kindergarten and only 53% of Florida’s third-graders are reading at or above grade level, showing a 1% drop compared to 2021. Additionally, recent metrics show that 773,801 of Florida’s children are living in poverty. These metrics directly impact opportunities at earned success and measuring them is essential to achieving our goals.
The Florida Chamber Foundation’s Florida Gap Map (TheFloridaGapMap.org) brings together the important work of the Florida Prosperity Project and the Florida Business Alliance for Early Learning Project to provide insight to local business leaders on how their surrounding schools are performing and what zip codes are most severely impacted by poverty. This innovative online tool gives job creators and community leaders across Florida performance information of individual schools in their community, pinpointing the zip codes most in need of resources. For example, Hillsborough County’s Mort Elementary has 125 third-graders not reading at grade level. Job creators need to understand that children struggling academically in their neighborhoods will soon comprise the workforce needed to run their businesses.
Investing in early learning and closing the skills gaps in the current and future workforce is essential. To have earners that thrive and meet business and economic needs of the future, we must turn towards meeting current needs.
Join our movement and unite with us to ensure Florida’s future workforce is prepared to fill Florida’s continued job creation. To get involved in improving childhood education in your neighborhood and ensuring every Floridian has the opportunity to secure their future, visit flchamber.com/earlylearningfl to learn more about the Florida Business Alliance for Early Learning Project, leadership positions, and promising practices to replicate in your community.
Mark Wilson is president and chief executive officer of the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Today’s learners are tomorrow’s earners
