CareerEdge Funders Collaborative

Get To Know CareerEdge

CareerEdge Funders Collaborative, a national-award-winning workforce and employer-led innovative initiative, is making waves by turning the traditional model for workforce investment in Florida on its head. CareerEdge partners directly with employers in fast-growing sectors in the regional economy, to help them fill skills gaps and meet their employment needs, while at the same time assisting individuals in entering the workforce and moving up career ladders. CareerEdge is a cutting-edge initiative and is transforming the way stakeholders and policy makers in the region and around the state look at career training.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to provide an exceptional labor force to the region’s growing industries by leveraging community assets and forming high-performing workforce partnerships.

Vision Statement

CareerEdge will be known as the region’s distinguished workforce development organization that promotes economic prosperity through strong employer-labor and community partnerships.

Our Foundation

Employer Voice, Data Driven, Collaboration and Partnership, Racial Equity and Inclusion, System Change, Innovation, Smart and Flexible Solutions -

CareerEdge is the first Funders Collaborative designated as a National Fund for Workforce Solutions site in the Southeastern US. The collaborative uses donated funds to create a skilled labor pool in the Manatee-Sarasota region and helps local employers find the talent they need. Please reach out to us to learn how you can help drive economic development in the Manatee-Sarasota region. CareerEdge is an initiative of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

2023 Evaluation Report on Outcomes and Impacts

In Investments

Workers Trained

New Jobs Created

Certificates/Degrees Earned

New Wages & Raises

CareerEdge Programs

Bridges To Careers

Bridges to Careers is a program, facilitated by CareerEdge, to enhance the skills and earning capacity of our community members by providing them with an opportunity to obtain the necessary training and credentialing so that they can enter the workforce successfully. Often this training takes place using a “Fast-Track” approach, upskilling the participants in a compressed timeframe while effectively preparing them to meet the skills employers need in today’s job market.

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Internship Employer Wage Reimbursement Program

CareerEdge offers a generous internship employer wage reimbursement program: up to $1500 per intern; two interns per calendar year. Internships helps individuals obtain the necessary skills required to succeed in today’s work environment, and for students especially, it offers supplemental income while they are enrolled in higher education institutions or if they have recently graduated.

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On-The-Job Training (OJT)

A hands-on method of teaching employees the knowledge and skills needed to perform a specific job. It allows employees to gain experience working in situations very similar to those they’ll encounter on a daily basis guided by an experienced trainer and/or subject matter expert. Employees earn a paycheck while learning in the actual environment where the work is performed.

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