Originally Published MX November/December
2001
BUSINESS PLANNING & TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT
Florida Pursues High-Tech Employment Strategies
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The Sunshine State
has been extremely active in ensuring that it attracts and keeps high-tech companies—including
those in medtech. Florida’s universities offer research support and faculty
that have direct experience in biomedical technology. These institutions also
provide a constant, trained labor pool. The colleges of medicine, engineering,
and pharmacy at Florida’s universities are among the resources that support
Florida’s existing biomedical technology industry.
The
state’s efforts don’t stop with skilled researchers and managers.
Florida’s community colleges offer customized training options for workers
in medtech companies. Community college programs have been developed especially
to strengthen and grow Florida’s biomedical technology workforce with this
industry in mind, says Ann Patrick, director of marketing at Enterprise Florida
(Orlando). In all, Florida’s 47 technical institutions provide training
to more than 100,000 students annually.
The state’s attractive high skills/high wages programs serve as a means
for medtech industry, economic development organizations, and training providers
to identify skills needed to fill jobs necessary for business recruitment, expansion,
and retention activities.
"A strong partnership between the business community, training and educational
facilities, workforce development entities, and technology helped develop and
is now implementing the Florida employment community," 'Patrick adds. "When
completely built, this on-line tool will be a service for employers, job seekers,
and trainers that will provide up-to-date information ranging from salary trends
to career advice.
"It will also be a fully functional on-line job bank. Job seekers will
be able to place their resumes on-line, do research about their careers, and
search for jobs. Employers will be able to post positions and search for new
employees."
Copyright ©2001 MX
