Issue Brief: Southwest Florida Employers Skills Gap
November 01, 2024 / RERI Research Team
Issue Brief: Southwest Florida Employer Skills Gap
In September 2022, FGCU in partnership with FutureMakers Coalition at Collaboratory received $23 million from the U.S Department of Commerce's Good Jobs Challenge grant. This funding led to the creation of The Southwest Florida Equitable Jobs Pipeline (EJP), a regional initiative that aims to train local job seekers in employer-demanded skills and ultimately place these job seekers into gainful jobs in the region within four key sectors: Healthcare, PK-12 Education, Manufacturing and Logistics.
As a follow-up to our 2023 skills gap analysis, we released a survey to gauge a wider understanding of skills gaps changes over time and included additional information related to supportive services for workers and recruitment. The survey was open to all industries, but also included a more detailed overview of specific responses from our four EJP target industries. The RERI used past survey questions, Lightcast® Labor Market Analytics and its own working knowledge of the region to guide questions and response options. An invitation to complete the internet survey was sent to 3,179 stakeholders in Southwest Florida. Two reminders were sent during the survey period. One hundred and eleven respondents completed the survey from March 26, 2024, through May 25, 2024.
This executive summary provides an overview of responses across categories including skill gaps, employee recruitment, and employee hiring and retention. Results from the skills gap found that interpersonal skills were often identified as the most critical skill for employers. Communication, customer service, project management, and social skills were consistently highlighted as essential for both current and future success. Despite challenges in timely hiring due to skill gaps, strengthening partnerships between employers and educational institutions is key to addressing these issues. These findings demonstrate the importance of Initiatives like the EJP, which helps by providing targeted skill development and support services.
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Issue Brief: Southwest Florida Employer Skills Gap
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