New partnership targets 300 supply chain jobs

CareerEdge Funders Collaborative in Manatee County and St. Petersburg College have formed a workforce-training partnership aimed at supply chain management jobs.

The partnership, TDL Tampa Bay, targets the region's growing transportation, distribution and logistics workforce, according to a release. The program will serve employers and workers throughout the Tampa region, with emphasis on
Manatee, Sarasota, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. The area forecasts a 13.8% growth in transportation, distribution and logistics jobs by 2021, the release adds.

This is the first time SPC, which offers a supply chain management academic program, and CareerEdge, based at State College of Florida in Manatee County, have teamed up to provide workforce training. CareerEdge is a partnership of business, government and philanthropic organizations that utilizes public and private dollars to run workforce training and other job-related programs.

“This partnership will be a true asset as we strive to train our students to meet the burgeoning demand for a skilled supply chain workforce,” St. Petersburg College President Bill Law says in the release. “This strikes at the very heart of our efforts at the college — to help students enter or re-enter the workforce with the skills they need to build careers in high-demand industries.”

Funding for the program comes through a grant from Jobs for the Future, a Boston-based nonprofit that focuses on skills and credentials, mostly in a lower-income, young adult demographic, in 42 states. Jobs for the Future awarded CareerEdge $220,000 to train 300 individuals over the next two years and provide support and job placement services in the Tampa region. The partnership will also connect underrepresented populations to the industry, the release states, with each site committing to serve at least 25% female participants.

Workers in the program will have the opportunity to earn industry-recognized credentials, including a commercial driver's license and global logistics associate certificate. There will also be opportunities to earn college credits that lead toward an associate's degree in TDL.