The Florida Department of Education is investing over $1 million to be spread across nearly two dozen entities to help boost entrepreneurship across the state.
The $1.5 million "Perkins V Entrepreneurship Education and Training" grant will go to 22 Florida institutions, including two local entities: Hillsborough Community College and St. Petersburg College.
The grant is intended for entrepreneur-related initiatives across career and technical education programs, often seen in community and technical colleges. The grants range from $25,000 to $100,000 per institution.
“While we know the quality of Florida’s career and technical education programs is unmatched, it is vital that our students graduate as critical thinkers, value creators and excellent communicators,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a statement. “Entrepreneurship education and training ensures for a well-rounded graduate and this is another step toward our goal to make Florida the best state in the nation for workforce education by 2030.”
The initiative is intended to help institutions not only launch entrepreneur programs but also support entrepreneurial ways of thinking and acting across all career pathways. The funding will also go toward teacher development and certification programs in entrepreneurship education, the development of potential student accelerator programs or startup bootcamps for future entrepreneurs.
“Being an entrepreneur, or an intrapreneur — an employee who can add value from within — is a viable path to improving Florida’s economic and social mobility rates. CTE does not just prepare students to take jobs, but to create the jobs of the future,” Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran said. “The idea is that we do not want to just technically train, but to also equip all students with the necessary employability skills.”
Both local institutions are already well-embedded in the entrepreneurial world. HCC has spent more than five years creating the college credit entrepreneurship academic program, which offers a number of degrees and certificates in entrepreneurship. The InLab@HCC is also a pillar in the startup community, offering mentoring, an accelerator program, coworking space and events. SPC offers an entrepreneurship certificate, along with its Career and Entrepreneurship Center at its Seminole campus.
