Writer: Gabriela Enamorado
3 min read January 2023 — Leaders in Palm Beach County are working hard to ensure that the workforce in the region remains strong and continues adding to the county’s competitive edge.
Palm Beach County appeals to people from all walks of life, making it a top location for business and leisure. Altogether, there is a 3.1 million person labor force in the South Florida area, according to the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County. Within that three million, there is a combination of 38 different languages represented from all over the world. Palm Beach County is also home to six higher education institutions with a new University of Florida campus on its way.
To continue bringing in new talent, Palm Beach leaders are making sure workforce training is accessible in schools and to residents.
“We have communicated with our academic leaders at our school district and with our college and university presidents to make sure that the skills that they are teaching are aligned with the jobs that are being created,” Kelly Smallridge, president and CEO of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County told Invest: last year. “We also are a very big partner to CareerSource Palm Beach County. They have a database of residents who are looking for jobs and we are either working with CareerSource to make sure those people have been trained appropriately or that they’re placed in the areas where we are hearing about job openings.”
Helping to cultivate a strong workforce pipeline, there are a multitude of options in Palm Beach County for those looking to get a two year degree, a certificate or looking to learn a trade.
Palm Beach State College has five campuses across the county offering different educational options outside of the traditional four year route. Aside from their four year degrees, associates degrees are offered along with technical degrees, short-term noncredit courses, certificates and workshops to improve students skills. PBSC offers more than 130 programs of study to prepare students for a competitive job market.
The highly educated and diversified workforce in the area is a big boost for the talent pipeline.
“The region provides a good talent pipeline,” Andrew Duffell, president of Research Park at Florida Atlantic University, told Invest: last year. “This resource is made available by the institutions of higher education in the region. For example, FAU has 30,000 students, FIU has around 50,000 and the other universities and community colleges also provide a big pool. Most of the people living in the region are not from here — data shows that over 60% of the population wasn’t born in the region, so we know that people here are naturally adventurous, creative and willing to take risks.”
The County is focused on attracting and retaining this unique talent pool. Smallridge told Invest: that their strategy to attract good talent is making sure that the business community is ahead of the game and knows how to attract quality workers. One of the best ways of attracting those workers is flexibility.
“The employees are in the driver’s seat and with the ability to do work anywhere in the world, it makes it harder for those employers that strongly believe that their employees need to be in a seat in their office, 9 to 5,” said Smallridge. “Companies need to understand that it’s very hard to put somebody in a shoebox all day long and expect them to be happy, to stay with the company and to exceed.”
This focus on flexibility in the work environment has continued pushing Palm Beach County’s workforce pipeline to greater heights.
“One positives of the pandemic was the recognition of work-life balance; people understand that you can have a life and successful career as well,” Laurel Baker, CEO of the Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce explained to Invest:.”I think each employer has to look at what they can offer to their staff and really evaluate what they bring to the table, such as offering flexibility. The workforce is changing, with new generations coming in.”
Another initiative to bolster the region’s workforce pipeline is being offered by the Urban League of Palm Beach County. Focused on incorporating young adults in need of a fresh opportunity, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Workforce Development Program provides training for those who have been involved in the criminal justice system or did not finish high school. These candidates in the program have access to resources like job placement assistance and career exploration.
The Urban League of Palm Beach County has also spearheaded a program to enhance the skills of those already in the workforce as they offer an Urban Senior Jobs Program. The priority candidates for these services are low-income seniors, veterans, disabled and those who have been unemployed long term. Participants are placed in part-time community service training positions. The skills to build conscience and other desired skills are taught during training, ensuring participants will be ready to enter or re-enter Palm Beach’s workforce.
