September 23, 2022
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Gov. Ron DeSantis awards $1.9 million to expand entrepreneurship education
Florida’s education system is now the number one place in the world for educating and training entrepreneurs
Video courtesy of the Governor’s Press Office
Tallahassee, Fla. – Today Gov. Ron DeSantis awarded $1.9 million to support entrepreneurship education and training programs at 8 state colleges and 17 school districts statewide. This funding will help students learn how to run a small business and expose them to available opportunities in their area. The awards will create and support college, high school and middle school programs. View the list of institutions receiving funding for 2022-23 here. To watch the video, click here.
Florida’s education system is now the world’s number one for entrepreneurship education, with more than 20,000 students, most of whom have earned industry certification in Entrepreneurship and Small Business (ESB) since 2020. Florida actually represents about half of all ESB certificates earned in the United States since the ESB certificate was first introduced in 2017.
ESB certification is a rigorous professional exam that validates the fundamental concepts and knowledge associated with entrepreneurship and small business ownership. Florida alone has now even surpassed world leader China in ESB certifications earned by students.
“Under the leadership of Governor DeSantis, Florida has pioneered the process of ensuring our students receive appropriate competency-based education through career and technical education programs,” said Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. “These programs are rigorous, in demand, and give students the opportunity to jump into a career quickly and debt-free.”
These awards are presented as part of the Perkins V Entrepreneurship Education and Training Grant (EET), which aims to help encourage entrepreneurship in government vocational and technical education (CTE) programs. Since 2020, $5.5 million has been awarded to 45 individual institutions. Florida’s Perkins V State Plan is committed to creating a robust entrepreneurial statewide ecosystem through its CTE programs. The plan recognizes how self-reliance and the ability to create value contribute to Florida’s economic security. For this reason, the plan seeks to help all CTE stakeholders understand how to better support interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial ways of thinking and acting across all career paths.
The EET grant funds a variety of initiatives such as: Examples include professional development and certification programs for entrepreneurship education teachers, developing ideas acceleration programs for students, or start-up boot camps for aspiring entrepreneurs. The grant also helps meet the costs associated with integrating entrepreneurship education and training into all CTE degree programs in Florida. The grant aims to help school districts and colleges grow communities and business partnerships to better connect.
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