Today the Central Florida Urban league announced a new jobs training program that aims to put Central Floridians back to work. CFUL pronounced the new initiative at a luncheon today where National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial served as keynote speaker.
This new plan will have a great focus on training and development for “new economy jobs” in partnership with local organizations.
In addition to announcing their new jobs program CFUL also revealed that the center’s first partnership is with Marriott hotels and the Jobs Partnership of Florida. This joint venture offers a three-week training program centered around culinary arts. Those who successfully complete the program will proceed to a 90-day paid apprenticeship program.
CFUL President and CEO Allie Braswell said that the needs of those seeking job opportunities in Central Florida have changed and the center directly addresses those needs.
“The Center for Innovation is a flexible platform…we will not only seek to train and assist the unemployed, but also those who are chronically under-employed when it comes to job success; or those who may need to retool their skills in order to access current opportunities in the Central Florida job market,” said Braswell.
Culinary arts is just the start for the Center for Innovation as there are plans to expand to other fields in the future.
National Urban League CEO Marco Morial also spoke on the importance of the new jobs center and how there are other Urban League chapters with similar programs.
“We have many examples of this type of job training program already existing in affiliates across the nation. There is no doubt that this is going to be a model that will be replicated by other affiliates,” stated the former Mayor of New Orleans.
I also asked Mr. Morial how the national organization planned to reconcile the existing gap between America’s failing educational system and decent paying jobs.
“We have a huge focus on education advocacy. We are also a large provider of after school program services to youth in cities across the nation. Its designed to help them succeed in school, help them finish high school and move on to college. We look at education as being inexplicably linked to jobs…we’re trying to encourage people to look at education as a jobs issue and jobs as an education issue,” said Morial.
With the unemployed rate in Central Florida holding steady at 11% and the jobless rate for African-Americans a healthy 16% most Central Floridians will welcome the sight of new jobs being brought to the area.
There was also a finicky contingent of politicians on hand for the announcement that included State Senator Gary Siplin, County Commissioner Tiffany Moore-Russell, and Orlando City Council Commissioner Daisy Lynum.
Senator Siplin has been in the news recently as he voted yes for Governor Rick Scott’s budget that will remove jobs from the Central Florida area and forces teachers to take a 3% reduction in pay.
For more information on the Central Florida Urban League’s new Center for Innovation and how to apply you may visit www.cful.org.
-JH
