Narrative: b. 1.

Quick Response Training (QRT)/FloridaFlex and Incumbent Worker Training (IWT) Programs serve as flagship training programs at CareerSource Florida, are market relevant and provide timely training driven by industry’s needs and choice of training providers. QRT/FloridaFlex and IWT serve as powerful tools

for workforce investment in leveraging considerable public/private funds for targeted training for skills in demand thus achieving greater use of limited public sector training funds. Virtually all businesses receiving training grants are within the state’s targeted industries, ensuring investment in wealth–generating jobs for Florida’s economic growth.

Quick Response Training Program

Florida’s Quick Response Training Program, established in 1993, provides state–level funding for customized training to new or expanding businesses. During 2014–2015, Florida continued to enhance the application process for businesses to quickly respond to training objectives in demand–driven areas. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2014–2015, CareerSource Florida awarded 50 Quick Response Training grants totaling nearly $11.7 million to support the skills upgrade training for new and 7,465 existing full–time employees. On average, trainees’ wages increased by more than 36 percent within a year of completing QRT– supported training. Florida businesses received customized training at an average cost per trainee of

$1,564. Extensive outreach activities were focused on counties, particularly rural counties that have never had a company benefit from QRT training assistance. For every $1 of QRT funds invested in training, companies matched $9.00.

Additionally, the Florida Legislature provided funding for the purpose of developing and launching a strategic marketing and business outreach plan for Florida’s nationally recognized Quick Response Training (QRT) Program. The marketing plan was developed to identify a long–term vision and strategic objectives for QRT as well as recommendations for marketing and advertising tools and tactics to enhance the program’s competitive position and market outreach based on gaining a greater understanding

of business customers and potential customers; key influencers including but not limited to economic developers, site selection consultants, workforce development professionals (particularly those within the CareerSource Florida network who provide employment and training solutions for businesses of all sizes); education and training partners and stakeholders; and public policy leaders. The plan provides a

clear and concise roadmap for CareerSource Florida’s current and future investments in the marketing and promotion of QRT among businesses, including Florida small businesses, and key influencers.

Through this project, CareerSource Florida also began implementation of recommended marketing strategies for messaging to internal and external audiences, development of an education and marketing tool kit for partners, marketing and brand–building materials such as brochures, digital outreach including website enhancements and social media outreach, and advertisements and media placements to support the program’s strategic marketing and business outreach objectives. A significant first–year outcome of this three–year Marketing and Outreach Plan was the re–branding of the QRT Program to FloridaFlex.

Incumbent Worker Training Program

Established in 1999, Incumbent Worker Training grants provide funding for customized training including skills upgrade training to existing for–profit businesses. Through this grant, Florida is able to effectively retain businesses and help them stay competitive by supporting skills–upgrade training for existing full– time employees. In PY 2014–2015, CareerSource Florida awarded 115 Incumbent Worker Training grants totaling more than $3.1 million to help companies train and retain more than 7,000 full–time employees. Trainees’ wages have increased more than 11 percent on average within fifteen months of completing IWT–supported training. Florida’s IWT program is funded at $2 million annually. Funding priority is given to businesses that are small, or located in rural, enterprise zone, brownfield or inner–city areas, and those businesses in a targeted industry. Since its inception, more than $100 million in requests for IWT funding have been received and, due to limited funding, 58 percent of the requests have resulted in awards.

Extensive outreach through presentations and workshops has been conducted to ensure that as many small businesses as possible are aware of the benefits of the IWT program. IWT is very popular and continues to meet a critical need for Florida’s businesses. For every $1 of IWT funds invested in training, companies matched $7.39.

Transitional Jobs and On–the–Job Training

The state of Florida will increase training opportunities to individuals via alternative training models such as Transitional Jobs and OJT. LWDBs are encouraged to leverage current and develop new local partnerships with community businesses and industry to support economic development in their areas. The coordination of workforce training programs with economic development strategies as envisioned by the Florida Workforce Legislation begins at the LWDB level and is coordinated at the state level by CareerSource Florida.

LWDBs may allocate up to 10 percent of local Adult and Dislocated Worker funds to transitional jobs for individuals with barriers to employment. LWDBs that choose to offer transitional jobs as an alternative training model must ensure that the transitional jobs are time–limited, wage–paid, subsidized work experiences that help individuals who are chronically unemployed and/or have an inconsistent work history. Transitional jobs are used to help such individuals establish a work history, develop skills to access unsubsidized employment, and progress in the workplace. The LWDB’s transitional jobs strategy/model will be incorporated into its local plan and must include local definitions for chronically unemployed and inconsistent work history. The local plan will also include the duration for transitional jobs and the strategy the LWDB will use to promote or encourage the individual’s transition into a permanent job once the subsidy ends.

OJT ensures high quality training for both the participant and the employer because both have a vested interest in the success of the program. The employer has the unique opportunity of training potential candidates the correct and most efficient way to perform tasks for their company, at a subsidized cost. The participant has the opportunity to receive direct training and experience that increases their current skill set. Participants also gain new skills to meet the requirements of a new occupation or industry and are better equipped to compete for available jobs. All OJT experiences are provided through contracts between local employers and the LWDB.

Customized Training

Customized training is training designed to meet the specialized skill needs or requirements of an employer or group of employers. Customized training is conducted with a commitment by the employer to retain the individual after successful completion of the training and requires the employer to pay a significant share of the cost of the training. Customized training offers the opportunity for employers to train individuals to the specified needs of the employer and provides the opportunity for the individual to learn and gain desired employer skills specific to an employer or industry.