CareerEdge’s Funders Collaborative and Partners Invest $1.3 million in Local Workforce Development

March 21, 2025 | Sarasota

CareerEdge Funders Collaborative, the workforce initiative of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, is proud to announce its 2024 efforts resulted in an economic impact of $3.1 million for the local economy. Their funding opportunities, unique programs and strategic partnerships with employers, educators, government officials, and community stakeholders are significantly contributing to the development of the region’s workforce.  The collaborative approach to local solutions led to outstanding ratings in several critical areas of the yearly evaluation.

CareerEdge’s 2024 Annual Evaluation shows its substantial impact on the Sarasota-Bradenton economy, including more than $1.3 million invested in workforce development, almost $2.1 million in added wages, 486 workers trained, the creation of 117 new jobs, 213 new employment opportunities and 259 workers earning raises.  The highly informative and detailed report includes other valuable metrics including demographics by gender, ethnicity, certifications earned by industry, and increases in annual wages per program.

CareerEdge observed a significant growth in reported outcomes for the “Bridges to Careers” program which enhances the skills and earning capacity for community members by providing them with training to earn credentials in high-demand occupations like Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) for healthcare and Technicians in the trade skills.  The Bridges program provided training to 53 unduplicated trainees across six training programs, partnering with 7 local education providers. Trainees included 26 CNAs, 6 electricians, 12 HVAC technicians, and 9 diesel mechanics.  Notably, each HVAC technician also received more than $800 in tools, equipping them for future success, and the 9 mechanics received funding to earn their Class B commercial driver’s license.  One key performance indicator used to measure the impact of the program is pre and post training wage. This year, the average wage difference was $9.17, resulting in more than $1 million in annual earnings gains for program graduates.

Since its inception in 2010, CareerEdge and its employer partners have invested $18.4 million, providing training for 8,141 workers, resulting in 1,837 promotions, 5,192 raises and $42 million in workers’ aggregate annual earnings.  Reaching these major milestones validates the program’s reliable and adaptive processes.

Overall, the evaluation announces another year of achievement for CareerEdge’s innovative programs focused on tangible outcomes. By building workforce capacity through collaboration, upskilling for additional credentials, and increased access to funding, CareerEdge Funders Collaborative has improved pay scales and created a better standard of living in Sarasota and Manatee Counties.

Elevate Data Consulting, an independent third party, conducted quantitative and qualitative analyses of the raw data, CareerEdge provided grant reports, and grant management database to produce the evaluation.  The Regional Input-Output Modeling System (RIMS-II), an Input-Output Multiplier dataset provided by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, was used to estimate type II direct economic impacts of increased wages and jobs.

To access the full report, click here.

We would like to thank and recognize the Funders for their generous and continuous support. Funders in 2024 include Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Sarasota County Government, Bank of America, Eppard Family Foundation, Florida Blue Foundation, Regions Bank Foundation and Truist Foundation.