ges Adapt for Student ss Success by Danielle Anderson
Headquartered in Daytona Beach , Florida , Frank Mercer heads up Daytona State ’ s College of Business , Engineering & Technology . Recently tapped by a local business to upskill their workers , Mercer said it ’ s the collaboration among like-minded resource partners that ensures the region can quickly adapt to an industry ’ s evolving needs .
“ One recent example was with a company training a group of employees in a specialized micro-welding process ,” shared Mercer . “ We designed and delivered the training which CareerSource Flagler / Volusia funded , and the company matched the funding by purchasing the equipment and materials .”
CTE programming takes place through Mary Karl School of Workforce & Continuing Education and includes a number of high-skill , high-wage programs such as welding technology , automotive service technology , building trades and construction design , CNC machining and HVAC technology . Daytona State College
Frank Mercer ( DSC ) also launched Florida ’ s first chapter of
FAME ( Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education ), an innovative partnership that matches students enrolled in the A . S . Engineering Technology program with local manufacturing companies for a combination of classroom and on-the-job training , shared Mercer .
Skills – Hard or Soft , You Need Them Both
In addition to hands-on training , employers and employees are fine-tuning their soft skills , said Joel Abo , Director of Business Education & Corporate Training for St . Johns River State College ( SJRSC ).
“ A common theme amongst small business owners has to do with the lack of basic soft skills and professionalism displayed from younger employees . Oftentimes the basic necessities of success like punctuality and polished communication skills are greatly lacking ,” shared Abo .
“ Understandably , these skills can be difficult to acquire without work experience . However , we have capstone courses in several of our Workforce Programs where students may
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