"Center for Innovation" Melds Industry-Specific Training for New Economy Jobs With CFUL Case Management Services in Partnership with Local Companies
ORLANDO, FL (June 10, 2011) – The Central Florida Urban League (CFUL) will take the lead in convening an innovative public-private partnership with a critical goal in mind – enabling Central Floridians to train for and find employment in the today’s challenging economy. The new CFUL Center for Innovation presents a multi-faceted approach to addressing key issues of access to training, development and job opportunity impacting the seven-county Central Florida region. When implemented, it seeks to become a single-source hub that generates sustainable job growth in the new economy. The Center for Innovation structure also allows for organic creation of new training curriculum, and provides a “plug-and-play” tool for local and regional employers to execute job-specific training modules to solve current and future workforce needs.
“With the CFUL as its facilitator, the Center for Innovation becomes a credible point of resource allocation with lines of accountability to its funders, end-users and advocates,” said Allie L. Braswell, Jr., President and CEO of CFUL. “The Center for Innovation will further serve as a regional clearinghouse connecting its users with support services that may be necessary to help sustain the training, development and job opportunities initially provided. Many of these services – housing assistance, special services, financial literacy, youth and family intervention – are already part of the resource matrix provided by the Urban League.”
The Center for Innovation initiative was announced today at the CFUL inaugural “Urban Issues Forum” at the First Baptist Church of Orlando on John Young Parkway, which featured a stirring address from Marc Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League. Appropriately themed “Putting Urban Americans Back to Work,” today’s luncheon event focused on Mr. Morial’s insights from the Urban League’s ongoing efforts with national policy-makers on strategies for job creation and economic growth in America’s urban centers.
Central Florida Urban League Launches New Center For Innovation Job Training Initiative
For the early development phases of the Center for Innovation, CFUL is partnering with local Marriott hotels and the Jobs Partnership of Florida in a three-week training curriculum around basic culinary arts. Those successfully completing the basic coursework will advance to a 90-day paid apprenticeship period designed to foster more advanced skills in high-quality food preparation.
Students will utilize the food preparation facilities at the First Baptist Church of Orlando as a training venue in tandem with classroom space available at the CFUL service center at 2804 Belco Drive. At today’s luncheon, the Urban League introduced an initial group of candidates for the program’s proof-of-concept phase. Results gathered from the intake, training, job placement and case management of students receiving the culinary arts curriculum will be applied as other industries and partners come aboard to utilize the Center for Innovation.
“Marriott has partnered with us locally to share their culinary expertise and job opportunities. As our industry partner in this initiative, Marriott has guaranteed 10 positions within their food and beverage operations at their four properties throughout the Greater Orlando area," said Mr. Braswell. “With its wealth of talent, known as ‘alumni,’ the Jobs Partnership of Florida is an excellent source of candidates with the soft skills necessary to get, retain and keep their job opportunity. And through the incredible partnership of First Baptist' Church’s donation of time, space and resources, the training will take place right here in our community."
According to Mr. Braswell, the CFUL Center for Innovation platform will operate with some specific objectives in mind, chief among them:
- Offering a curriculum mix of classroom instruction, field training and practical applications of learning that meets current and future workforce demands;
- Matching the training and skills of those completing Center for Innovation certification with existing job opportunities from employers across the Central Florida region; and
- Leveraging public-private partnerships to fund, staff, operate and maintain the Center for Innovation as a key contributor to the region’s economic health.
“The needs of today’s job seeker in Central Florida have changed, and the Center for Innovation is a flexible platform designed to meet those changing needs,” Mr. Braswell said. “We will not only seek to train and assist the unemployed, but also those who are chronically under-employed when it comes to job access; or those who may need to retool their skills in order to access current opportunities in the Central Florida job market. Critical to the success of the Center for Innovation platform will be the willingness of local industries to invest in and utilize the Urban League as a strategic partner in addressing workforce needs.”