Complete Florida, the statewide program supporting Floridians with some college credit and no degree, has been selected as a finalist in the Jobs for the Future Labs $1 Billion Wage Gain Challenge which seeks to help address wage stagnation. Complete Florida put forth its Prior Learning Assessment Navigation (PLAN) Program for consideration, seeking to help adult learners fast track their time to degree and certificate completion.
“Far too often we overlook the learning that takes place at work,” said Dr. Michelle Horton, interim assistant vice president of online innovation at the University of West Florida. “The goal of the PLAN program is to collaborate with employers to align workplace training with academic programs. This will increase access to educational opportunities that lead to career mobility for working adults. Our aim is to bridge the gap between education and the workforce to increase employees’ wages.”
A panel of judges will choose the challenge winner at the ASU GSV X Summit, which is an international conference focused on education, workforce and technology. The challenge event is a platform for finalists to gain exposure to fuel a movement that would raise the annual wages of at least 100,000 workers by $10,000 or more before the end of 2021—a total impact of $1 billion.
“By aligning workforce training with college credit, PLAN could become a national model for innovative approaches to the connection between education and wage growth,” Horton said. “We hope that by participating in this summit we can work with other partners and leaders to help strengthen and improve upon our ideas.”
Horton will travel to San Diego April 8 to present the Complete Florida PLAN proposal at the ASU GSV X Summit.
To learn more or to participate in this project, contact Michelle Horton at [email protected].
About Complete Florida
Complete Florida is a state of Florida initiative to recruit and retain the state’s 2.2 million adults who have some college but no degree. Partnering with public and private higher education institutions in Florida, Complete Florida provides one-on-one planning, support and coaching for students with adult responsibilities. Dedicated coaches work alongside students as personal advocates, counselors and advisors while participants complete college courses 100% online. For more information, visit CompleteFlorida.org.
