State Board of Education Applauds Success of Apprenticeship and Preapprenticeship Programs
Florida Department of Education | October 15, 2024
Tallahassee, Fla., October 15, 2024 – Today, the State Board of Education applauded the success of Florida’s apprenticeship and preapprenticeship programs with a new report that showcases the state’s progress toward becoming the #1 state in the nation for workforce education by 2030. Additionally, the State Board approved a new rule allowing educators with the recently approved restricted classical education certification that are teaching in our classical schools, to teach more than 1,400 courses listed in the Florida Department of Education’s Course Code Directory.
“Florida has prioritized investments in workforce education and our approach is paying off,” said Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. “Through workforce education, we are providing students with an educational choice that gives them high-demand skills that lead to high-wage jobs. I am also proud that we are continuing to support education choice through our new classical teaching certification and the addition of this certification to our Course Code Directory.”
Registered apprenticeship and preapprenticeship programs are a key component of Florida’s workforce initiative and are the leading source of skilled workers to support Florida’s growing economy. Highlights from 2023-24 include:
- 9% increase in the total number of registered apprenticeship and preapprenticeship programs;
- 14% increase in the total number of active apprentices and preapprentices;
- 32 new registered apprenticeship programs, for a total of 329 active apprenticeship programs;
- 2,167 apprentices completed their program, earning an average exit wage of $27.81 per hour, which equates to an annual salary of $57,837, an increase of $4,376 over the previous year.
The State Board recognized 10 School Districts as Academically High Performing and 774 Schools of Excellence spanning 48 districts. Districts designated as high performing are:
- Clay, Collier, Miami-Dade, Indian River, Lafayette, Nassau, Sarasota, Seminole, Sumter, and Walton.
Additionally, the Board approved a new rule implementing the Summer Bridge Program that provides early literacy skill instructional support for Voluntary Prekindergarten students who score below the 10th percentile on the final administration of progress monitoring.
