Partnership receives $3.8M technology grant

TAMPA — A $3.8 million grant from the federal government will help the Tampa region with programming and training specifically for technology jobs.

A Tampa partnership received one of 39 TechHire Partnership grants across the nation, a statement says. The grant was a result of a partnership between CareerSource Tampa Bay, University Area Community Development Corp., Hillsborough County, Tampa Bay Technology Forum and the Tampa Innovation Alliance. U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor led the effort, the statement says.

“Our hard-fought federal investment in jobs aims to recruit more than 1,000 young adults and low-wage workers in Tampa and the surrounding area, with a goal of preparing them for well-paying jobs in information technology and health care,” Castor says in the statement. “The Tampa Bay area would not have been competitive without so many of our partners like the University of South Florida and a number of local employers and employer coalitions such as the Tampa Bay Technology Forum, Cognizant and Celestar Holdings Corp.”

Partners in the program will work to develop programming and training, the statement says, and education providers like USF will allow participants to earn certificates and degrees in customized programs.

Along with expanding local technology-related job training programs, the program will “train incumbent workers for advancement in critical high-growth IT and health care occupations,” says CareerSource Tampa Bay President and CEO Ed Peachey in the statement.

More than 150 businesses supported the grant application through their membership in the Tampa Innovation Alliance and the Tampa Bay Technology Forum, the statement says.