Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas Awards $14.6 Million to Expand Prepapprenticeship and Apprenticeship Opportunities in Florida

September 10, 2025

FDOE Press Office 850-245-0413 [email protected]

Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas Awards $14.6 Million to Expand Prepapprenticeship and Apprenticeship Opportunities in Florida

Tallahassee, Fla., September 10, 2025 - Today, Florida Department of Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas awarded $14.6 million through the Pathways to Career Opportunities Grant (PCOG) to fund 34 entities to start, expand or operate registered apprenticeship and preapprenticeship programs at Florida school districts, colleges, state universities and private training entities. The funding will support over 7,100 participants as they commit to receive on-the-job training and related classroom instruction simultaneously.

"Governor DeSantis' continued investment in workforce education is transforming opportunities for students across Florida," said Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas. "These programs give students the chance to train alongside industry experts and discover their strengths and step confidently into the jobs that drive Florida's economy forward."

The institutions receiving funding through the PCOG in 2025-26 are:

• AAR Aircraft Services, Inc.
• ABC Institute, Inc.
• Best Friends for Kidz Training
• Central Florida Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee
• Community Health Centers of Pinellas, dba Evara Health
• Crisis Center of Tampa Bay (CCTB)
• Flagler County Schools/Flagler Technical College
• Florida East Coast Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (FECEJATC)
• Florida Finishing Trades Institute (FLFTI) Joint Apprenticeship & Training Committee (JATC)
• Florida Rural Water Association
• Florida Training Services, Inc.
• FloridaMakes, Inc.
• Gulf Coast Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC)
• Halifax Hospital Medical Center
• Hamilton-Ryker TalentGro
• Independent Electrical Contractors FWCC
• Jacksonville Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee, dba Electrical Training Alliance of Jacksonville (ETAJ)
• Jacksonville Plumbers and Pipefitters Joint Apprenticeship and Training Trust (JATT LU 234)
• Lee Health
• Livingstone Schools Inc dba Florida Trade Academy
• MarineMax, Inc.
• Miami Dade College
• Miami-Dade County Public Schools
• Orange County Public Schools (Orange Technical College)
• Pipe U Palm Beach County Plumbing, Air Conditioning and Pipefitting Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (Pipe U) dba Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union No. 630 Joint Apprentice and Training Trust Fund
• Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 123 Apprenticeship Training Trust
• Santa Rosa County District Schools (Locklin Technical College)
• Skill Builders Solutions, Inc.
• South Florida Operating Engineers Joint Apprentice and Training Trust (SFOE JATT)
• SpaceTEC Partners, Inc.
• Tallahassee State College
• Tampa Area Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (Tampa JATC/TJATC)
• Tampa Bay Tech Foundation
• Versa-Tile & Marble, Inc.

To date, $105 million has been awarded through the Florida Pathways to Career Opportunities Grant with over 350 proposals funded and over 20,000 participants served. As a result, students throughout Florida have access to proven training methods that benefit both job seekers and businesses through apprenticeship and preapprenticeship opportunities and programs. For a complete list of grant awards for 2025-26, visit: https://www.fldoe.org/pathwaysgrant/.

Governor Ron DeSantis has committed more than $10 billion to workforce education and training, making Florida number one in the nation for attracting and developing a skilled workforce. In Florida, there are nearly 800,000 K-12 career and technical education (CTE) students - the highest in the state's history - more than 480,000 postsecondary CTE students and 22,444 registered apprentices and preapprentices engaged.

For more information about the Florida Pathways to Career Opportunities Grant Program, visit https://www.fldoe.org/pathwaysgrant.