2018-2019 Polk Vision Annual Report PV AR 2019_web | Page 20

PAMELA CRAVEN, Ph.D.
Co-Chair
Learning Resource Center NAT WEST
Winter Haven Public
Education Partnership
LINDSAY PERSOHN, Ph.D.
Co-Chair
Community Volunteer STEVE WARNER, Ed.D.
Polk County Public Schools
DID YOU KNOW?
CINTIA ALLY
Bartow History Center Kindergarten Readiness
47% in Polk; State 53%
DENISE ATWELL
Florida Southern College 3% increase over 2017
STEVE CHAPMAN
Polk Education Foundation
TARREL DAVIS
Mulberry Community Service
Center
STACY DAVIS
Polk County Public Schools
SHERI GEIGER
Usborne Books
LEFT: During a session hosted by
Lakeland Electric, Sean Malott,
President and CEO of Central Florida
Development Council, led a skills gap
discussion with Lakeland business
representatives.
47% of Polk County
Kindergartners assessed as
being ready for Kindergarten
in the Fall of 2018.
F I N D I N G YO U R F U T U R E
WO R K F O R C E : Education &
Industry Roundtables
(2018 Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener)
1% increase over 2017
JENNIFER KOVAC
Polk County Library
Cooperative 52% of Polk County 3rd Grade
Students scored proficient in
English Language Arts.
SHAULLANDA LANCOMB
Community Volunteer (2019 Florida Standards ELA Reading
Assessment)
AUDREY NETTLOW
Winter Haven Public
Education Partnership
COLEEN PIZZUTI
United Way of Central
Florida
DIANE PLOWDEN
Polk County Public Schools
NANCY PURI
Polk County Public Schools
BEVERLY PUTNAM
Northeast Polk Literacy
Council
SARA BETH REYNOLDS
Polk County School Board
ASHLEY SHOLTZ
Early Learning Coalition
JUAN SEDA
Polk County Public Schools
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Updated annually, the 2nd edition of
the Literacy Resource Directory was
published in the Fall of 2018 and is
available for download on-line.
The 3rd edition is currently in
development and is scheduled for
publication in Fall 2019.
Reflecting the Team’s focus on early
preparedness, the 3rd edition will include
an expanded Kindergarten Readiness
section.
To view the Literacy Resource Directory
visit: portal.polkvision.com/literacy-team
TALENT
PIPELINE
The Talent Pipeline Team
is convened in partnership
with the Central Florida
Development Council. The
Team is focused on aligning
community resources through
innovative collaborations to
fill the gap of high skill, high
wage jobs in Polk County.
In October of 2018, the Team hosted
“Finding Your Future Workforce” a
series of six roundtable discussions
convened across the county. The goal
was to hear directly from business
leaders what they were experiencing
with the Polk County labor market.
During facilitated discussions, 133
cross-sector industry representatives
were asked to identify and rank
the jobs and skills needed in their
workplace and to identify skills gaps
in the available talent pool. While
each employer reported varying
degrees of difficulty in finding
technically proficient applicants,
100% of those attending ranked soft
skills as the number one most needed
and the number one ranked skills
deficit among applicants and the
recently hired. These local findings
were confirmed through data
reported by CareerSource Florida
and the Department of Economic
Opportunity.
(Skills Gap and Job Vacancy Survey, Statewide
2018)
Before 2030, Polk County will have a
world-class, fully integrated education
system that supports the needs of a
vibrant, progressive community.
ADDRESSING THE GAP
With soft skills emerging from the
roundtables as the number one skills
gap, the Team began researching for
an effective learning tool to address
this need. The Team chose the State
of Florida funded platform Florida
Ready to Work which offers free of
fee staff support, training modules,
instructors guide, on-line systems
and evaluation methods. Students
can earn Soft Skills e-Badges and
a Soft Skills Credential following
coursework completion and a
proctored exam. Over the late spring
and throughout the summer of 2019,
five Polk Vision partners began using
the platform to pilot Florida Ready to
Work with their students. Feedback
from the students and course
facilitators will be used to chart the
next steps in the creation of a local
program.
With the goal of graduating the
first class of Polk Certified Ready to
Work students in Spring of 2020,
the Talent Pipeline Team is hoping
Florida Ready to Work will serve as a
key component of a larger course of
study which will include experiential
training and a capstone project.
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