City of Tavares Awarded $6 Million
for Infrastructure & Workforce Training in Partnership with Lake Technical College
What an extraordinary day it was at Lake Technical College! On Friday, November 2, Governor Ron DeSantis visited Lake Technical College’s main campus to announce a $6 million Florida Job Growth Grant Fund award to the City of Tavares to construct a regional workforce training and innovation center in partnership with Lake Technical College. During the press conference, Mrs. DeAnna Thomas, Executive Director of Lake Technical College, noted that this partnership “is one of the most innovative projects combining government and education resources that has ever been created!” This award will allow the City to construct the first stage of a new Public Works Operations Center. This will accommodate the full operations of the Public Works division, as well as, serve as the new training location of Lake Tech’s Diesel Systems Technology programs. Currently, Lake Tech has to limit capacity to 16-18 students due to space constraints, but this expansion will significantly increase the enrollment potential in the program and the ability to offer advanced training. “This is a great investment that will allow Lake Technical College to triple the number of students enrolled in programs that support high-paying, and in-demand fields across the transportation industry,” Governor Ron DeSantis stated. “We will continue to invest in programs that create opportunities for Floridians and support our growing economy.”
Surrounded by employers, city officials, students, and staff, Mrs. Thomas thanked the Governor for his support of this project and workforce training noting, “technical colleges and career centers have been the workforce engine with proven results in the state of Florida for decades! We train high-wage, high-skilled, critical thinkers with a focus on the important soft skills employers demand, and the rapid programs we traditionally offer lead students to a career and employment in a year or less.” Utilizing this innovative model, students will be able to train in an authentic environment as they work side-by-side with the City’s technicians. This will also allow for increased opportunities in job shadowing, cooperative work experiences, internships, and apprenticeships. Both Lake Tech and the City are committed to completing the entire Public Works/Regional Training Center project, which will provide additional space in the complex to relocate additional transportation programs in the coming years.
