Florida invests $5.2 million for workforce education at Daytona State

The state of Florida awarded Daytona State College more than $5 million to enhance workforce training opportunities at the college in welding, machining, cybersecurity and apprenticeship programs.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was on Daytona State’s campus in late September to formally present the award to DSC President Tom LoBasso.

“I set a goal to make Florida the best state in the nation for workforce education by 2030 and we are doing that by making investments that expand opportunity and meet industry needs,” DeSantis said in a DSC media release.

The funds awarded to Daytona State are part of a $30 million investment statewide to enhance career training and workforce development.

For Daytona State, the additional funding allows expansion of several programs and the strengthening of partnerships with community groups and local school districts.

“A key element of our mission is to anticipate the educational and workforce needs of our communities and regional employers,” LoBasso said in the release. “The funding Gov. DeSantis announced greatly increases our ability to prepare our students for rewarding careers in a broad range of high-demand fields.”

The award includes funding for the commercial drivers license training program, which is set to begin in February 2023 in partnership with the Fleetforce Truck Driving School in Winter Haven. As part of the agreement, which is still being finalized, Daytona State will provide classroom and office space for the program, along with a driving pad and Fleetforce will conduct the training. Once the program is up and running it will be capable of training up to 200 drivers annually, according to the release.