First Class Graduates from Tuition-Free Construction Training Program

May 17, 2022 – Sarasota

The inaugural class of eight local residents graduated on May 5 from a first-of-its-kind training program in the construction field offered by CareerEdge Funders Collaborative and funded through Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ Master Plan.

Within a week of completing the training, at least two of the graduates had started new jobs with one of the subcontractors working on the Master Plan project at Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus.

“We are so proud of this first class of eight individuals, who demonstrated a commitment to learn from day one,” said Kristi Hoskinson, vice president of CareerEdge, the workforce development program of The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. “The funding assistance from Selby Gardens provides tremendous opportunity for people in our community to get into the skilled trades, create a career path, and earn a very good living. It’s a win for Sarasota for sure.”

CareerEdge’s new core construction skills training initiative is designed to provide participants with industry-recognized credentials in the construction field, as well as life and career-skills training and financial education through CareerEdge’s “Bridges to Careers” program. Participants receive 80 hours of training at no cost to them. Those who successfully complete the tuition-free training then have an opportunity to be considered for employment with one of the subcontractors working for Willis Smith Construction, the construction management firm for Selby Gardens’ Master Plan.

The program is made possible through $100,000 in funding assistance from the Campaign for Selby Gardens’ Master Plan, with additional support from Bank of America. The Master Plan is estimated to have an economic impact of more than $78 million on the region, according to Selby Gardens President & CEO Jennifer Rominiecki. She said the training and job-placement initiative will help keep more of that impact and its future benefits in the local community. 

“Major development projects in Sarasota have a public art requirement—which is great,” said Rominiecki. “But what if there also was a job-placement requirement? As a longtime institution and a good neighbor in Sarasota, we believe that is important enough to make it a requirement of our own project.”

Within a week of the May 5 graduation, participant Dominique Campbell had started his first day on the job with Bright Future Electric, a subcontractor on the Selby Gardens project. A second graduate started working with the same company the following day. 

The next two-month class in the core construction skills training program begins June 14. Overall, the program aims to train about 40 Sarasota city and county residents for careers in construction over two years.

“The Chamber’s work through CareerEdge is about serving the businesses in our community by building a strong workforce and creating opportunities to develop careers,” said Heather Kasten, President & CEO of The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. “I’m so proud of the work being accomplished.”

Several other community partners are integral to the initiative and its success. Trainings take place at Goodwill Manasota’s Selby Newtown Job Connection Center, and the Goodwill team assists with recruiting participants. Technical Education Council (TEC) is the local training provider, using a curriculum designed by the National Center for Construction Education & Research, which is considered the leader in training, assessment, certification, and career development within the construction industry. Key partners in the effort also include Willis Smith Construction and Gulf Coast Builders Exchange.