17
Talent
Pipeline
LEAD Team
ABOVE: Dr. Naomi Boyer of Polk State College with Dr. Neslon Marquez
of Webber International University , conducted a series of Think Tank
sessions across the county on the topic of Employability Skills.
The Talent Pipeline Team was
formed cooperatively by Polk
Vision in partnership with the
Central Florida Development
Council and is focused on filling
the gap of high skill, high wage
jobs necessary to meet Polk
County’s current and emerging
industry workforce needs.
The Polk County economy
requires a pipeline of qualified
workers to meet the demands
of local employers. This pipeline
is highly dependent upon
high school graduation, post-
secondary enrollment and college
completion rates.
ABOVE: Information gathered during these sessions will be used to design
an employability skills program for students in high school and beyond to
better prepare local students for entry into the workplace.
The plan is to increase educational
attainment - substantially altering
local conditions, improving quality
of life and serving as an economic
catalyst for increased productivity.
Goals for the Team include
increasing the number of students
who graduate high school with
a diploma and a direct pathway
to a career or post- secondary
education. This will provide a
more robust pipeline of talent
and skills and reduce the existing
gap of employable individuals
in particular jobs and sectors.
Outcomes are measured by the
number of high school graduates
who then enter college or
technical school; or directly enter
the skilled workforce; or elect to
enter the military.
ABOVE: The Team is aligning resources between business, education,
philanthropy and government and is focused on helping students achieve
success beyond high school.
POLK VISION JOINS
FCAN
The Florida College Access
Network (FCAN) is Florida’s
first collaborative network