South Florida State College (SFSC) and the University of Florida (UF) Institute of Higher Education have been awarded the Title III Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) grant. The partnership will receive $4.65 million over five years to support the Florida Learning, Innovation, and Growth for a High-skilled Talent (FLIGHT) pipeline. SFSC will receive approximately $3.29 million and over $1.35 million will go to UF.

“We are excited to collaborate again with SFSC and continue building out this partnership,” said Dr. Lindsay Byron, interim director of the UF Institute of Higher Education. “FLIGHT is an opportunity to both improve current workforce education pathways between SFSC and UF and develop new programs in Precision Agriculture. Over the next five years, we will have the resources to provide the next generation of SFSC students with cutting edge education and opportunities.”

Through FLIGHT, the institutions will modernize their career and technical education (CTE) programs for the workforce, strengthen the current infrastructure to support workforce development, develop services to support workforce student success, and expand postsecondary pathways from SFSC to UF, and beyond.

“South Florida State College is grateful to the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Labor for the approval of the Strengthening Institutions Program grant, known as FLIGHT,” said Dr. Mark Bukowski, vice president for student services at SFSC. “We also thank the University of Florida for their assistance in the grant process, and with whom we will partner with on this grant. FLIGHT will help plan and implement new skilled pathways for students in the Florida Heartland, which will lead to high wage opportunities and continue to build on the strong talent and community whom we serve at SFSC.”

Within the first two years of the program, SFSC plans to align its teaching and training to modern workforce practices and improve the systems and processes for students to therefore increase student engagement in support services and career pathways.

In the years to follow, more SFSC students will earn industry credentials and micro-credentials, improve training pathways for rural residents, embed AI and digital literacy across all programs, and increase transfer rates to UF.

For more information about SFSC, visit southflorida.edu, and for more information on the UF Institute of Higher Education, visit https://ihe.education.ufl.edu/about.