A new $25 million-dollar agreement approved by the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) is creating an influx of funds to help train the next generation of manufacturers in Hillsborough County and will also support residents experiencing employment or business interruptions due to COVID-19 related closures.

The funding comes from the federal Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the agreement will be managed by CareerSource Tampa Bay (CSTB)—one of the Manufacturing Alliance’s founding partners—alongside the BOCC.  

The agreement will go into effect retroactively from June 1, 2020 until December 30, 2020.

“We are excited to work with Hillsborough County, partner agencies, area employers and training partners to implement this bold approach to up-skilling and re-tooling our workforce,” said CSTB CEO John Flanagan. “The On the Job Training program, which assists in the hiring and retention process of community residents will be key to moving job seekers into employment, by offsetting costs of training to business community, allowing for focus on work based learning, which will only bolster continued employment and retention after the program is completed. The goal for this program is not just employment today, but employment for the foreseeable future.”

The funding will allow CSTB to help other key industries like healthcare, information technology, financial services and construction from a talent perspective. It will also give CSTB the ability to access the workforce from adversely affected industries like hospitality and tourism to either place directly into employment or offer short term training.

“Getting our citizens back to work is vital during these tough economic times and it is critically important to help those seeking re-employment to give them the training and skills for a quality, sustainable job opportunity,” said Commissioner Sandra Murman who sits on the CSTB Board. 

Details on how people and businesses can apply to participate in the programs will be released later this month.

Categorized in: Careers, Community, Industry