The College of Central Florida is looking to expand its information technology program after receiving $3,173,583 from the United States Department of Labor.
The program is designed to help students in rural areas with work training programs.
CCF President James Henningsen said the school decided to use the grant money for information technology programs because students with IT experience are a commodity across multiple fields such as advanced manufacturing, transportation, and health care.
Henningsen says the IT program fell in line with what the government was looking for because it puts people in high skill, high wage jobs.
The College of Central Florida is the lead grantee in a consortium with seven other Florida colleges: Brevard Community College, Edison State College, North Florida Community College, Palm Beach State College, South Florida State College, and St. Johns River State College.
St. Johns River State College received $945, 133 from the grant, which also aims towards the development and expansion of computer education and the information
technology program by working with businesses.
The training programs at SJRSC will allow students to partner with big and small business throughout the area to give them work based education. The partnerships include Jacksonville USA, the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Clay, Putnam, and St.Johns Chambers of Commerce and Economic Development Group.