- Multiple schools, including FSU and TCC, are joining forces to support aerospace, advanced manufacturing and health care education.
- The Institute for Strategic Partnerships, Innovation, Research, and Education (InSPIRE) will help drive jobs in the STEM field.
- Watch the video above to hear from FSU's preisdent and see how this partnership could benefit the entire state of Florida.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Meeting a need in the aviation field while advancing careers. I'm Kendall Brandt in Crestview.
It's about 100 miles from Tallahassee. FSU is taking some of their faculty from the Big Bend to the area and partnering with colleges here to give students in this area a hands on training with aerospace engineering.
FSU President Richard McCullough says the university is constantly helping their own students and others in higher education. "Supporting the entry to education is core to who I am as a person."
He is doing that through FSU's partnership with four north west Florida colleges and TCC for a project aimed at building workforce in aviation. "The goal is to really build a workforce development particularly for this region and the entire state of Florida."
McCullough tells me they're taking some of their faculty and inviting students to come west for hands on training in aerospace engineering.
It's a field that's high in demand right now.
Research firm Oliver Wyman estimates there was a shortage of 12 to 18,000 aviation mechanic workers in 2023.
"What is really missing is the ability to have educated workforce development, folks from this area providing the kind of talent we need to not only grow those companies in this region but also attract new companies to northwest Florida."
The partnership between the colleges and FSU will be through the INSPIRE institute. It'll give students experience on equipment like this at nearby airports, private companies and even with US defense operations.
President of NW Florida State College Devin Stevenson says he's excited for the possibility of bringing minds from FSU in to collaborate with his students and staff. "The piece that is magic for us is that you've got research and development and teaching and learning working hand in hand."
Stevenson says they want their area to attract people from all across Florida as an aerospace engineering hub. He says the careers are good for their students in the panhandle, but also can attract students living in Tallahassee.
"They're not just jobs. They're high wage, high paying careers with security for advancement."
And McCullough says it is fully committed to helping train the people to fill those positions.
"These are things we are 100 percent focused on right now that are all good for the state of Florida."
FSU is also bringing more resources to this area for health education. They're working with TMH to bring a new facility to Panama City Beach.
