Florida Department of Education receives $6.6 million federal grant to expand work-based learning opportunities for students statewide

Tallahassee, Florida – Florida students will have access to more virtual career experiences, training opportunities and pre-apprenticeship programs after the Florida Department of Education received a $6.6 million federal grant to expand work-based learning across the state.

The Florida Department of Education announced the award September 14, saying the funding comes from the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Education. The money will be used to build on Florida’s existing career planning system and give students more ways to explore potential careers before they leave school.

A major part of the effort will involve expanding the use of Xello, Florida’s official career planning and work-based learning platform. The free statewide platform is designed for students of different grade levels and allows them to learn about careers, explore industries and begin planning for their futures.

More than 1.1 million students are currently active on Xello, according to the Florida Department of Education. With the new federal funding, the state plans to expand the platform’s work-based learning capabilities and reach students who may not have easy access to traditional programs.

That includes students living in rural areas, where distance can make it difficult to travel to a workplace or training site. The initiative will also target students in urban communities who face transportation limitations.

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The state specifically identified Florida’s 29 Rural Economic Development Initiative designated counties as communities that could benefit from the expanded access.

“Florida’s workforce strategy is simple: every student should graduate with a clear path to a good job, not just a diploma,” said Dr. Henry Mack, Commissioner of Education. “These funds strengthen the strategy by giving millions of middle and high school students direct exposure to the kind of work in industries critical to the future of the Florida economy.”

Students will be able to take part in work experiences without necessarily having to leave school or travel to a physical workplace. The expanded program will include virtual work experiences, simulated industry challenges and technical skill exercises.

The experiences will focus on industries that Florida has identified as high-growth and high-wage fields. Among them are aviation and aerospace, life sciences, energy security, agricultural technology, information technology and cybersecurity.

The goal is to give students a closer look at what these jobs actually involve while helping them understand what education and training may be needed to pursue them.

For students in communities where companies, training centers or other career opportunities may be far away, virtual programs can provide an alternative way to gain exposure. Instead of geography determining which careers a student can explore, the new program is intended to bring those experiences directly to students.

“Preparing Floridians for the jobs of tomorrow requires all of us to work together to better connect education, workforce development, and the needs of Florida’s employers,” said Mark Wilson, President & CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Florida Chamber Foundation. “This investment will help strengthen Florida’s talent pipeline and create more pathways to prosperity for Floridians, while helping make certain our businesses have the skilled workforce they need to compete and grow. The Florida Chamber Foundation and its talent pipeline development effort, the Future of Work initiative, is proud to support efforts that put the long-term ahead of the short-term and help secure Florida’s future.”

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The work will be carried out in partnership with Florida Virtual Campus and Florida State University. Their involvement will support the development and implementation of the expanded virtual learning and career experiences.

State officials say the program is intended to do more than simply introduce students to individual occupations. It will connect career interests with education and workforce opportunities, allowing students to see how their current studies can lead to specific jobs and training programs.

That connection could be particularly important for students who are still deciding what they want to do after high school. Instead of choosing a career based only on what they see around them, students will have opportunities to explore industries and occupations through structured experiences.

“A student’s ZIP code should never limit what they can imagine for their future,” said Dr. Ashley Meros, Chancellor of Career, Technical, and Adult Education. “By expanding access to meaningful career experiences, we can help students connect their talents to high-demand opportunities and see a future for themselves in communities across Florida.”

The new opportunities will also be connected to Florida’s postsecondary education and workforce systems. Students will be able to use career experiences to explore possible paths into Career and Technical Education programs, pre-apprenticeships and Registered Apprenticeships.

Those pathways will be aligned with federal and state career data as well as Florida’s Master Credentials List. The idea is to give students a clearer understanding of how a particular interest can develop into an education plan, a credential and eventually a job.

The approach also reflects the state’s effort to address the needs of employers in industries where skilled workers are in demand. By exposing students to those fields earlier, Florida hopes to create stronger connections between schools, workforce development programs and businesses.

The $6.6 million investment comes at a time when career preparation is receiving increased attention as students consider options beyond traditional four-year college programs. Work-based learning can give students a chance to understand different careers while they are still in school and determine which fields fit their interests and abilities.

For rural students, the virtual component could be especially significant. A student may live hours away from a company, training center or other potential worksite but still be able to take part in a simulated industry challenge or technical exercise online.

The state’s plan is therefore aimed at widening access rather than limiting work-based learning to students who live near major employment centers.

With more than one million students already using Xello, the Florida Department of Education is building on an existing system rather than starting from scratch. The federal grant will allow the state to add more work-based learning opportunities and connect students with career pathways tied to some of Florida’s most important industries.

As the initiative is implemented, students across the state are expected to gain more opportunities to explore careers, develop technical skills and understand the education and training required to enter high-demand fields.

The broader objective is straightforward — help students leave school with a better idea of where they want to go next and provide them with practical routes to get there.