Education & Employment
The Need
The 2017 community needs assessment found that Collier County students have difficulty with starting school and planning for life after graduation. Many of these students are the first in their families to attend secondary education, but their families often don’t have the financial resources to support them. And without advanced education and training, they do no qualify for high-paying jobs. That leaves many of them with little choice except service and retail jobs that do not pay a living wage.
Our Solution
As a community convener, the Community Foundation of Collier County is a leading voice in the response to these needs.
Future Ready Collier is a collaborative effort of 60 organizations.
We can bolster early childhood education, as well as college and career-readiness, through the central agency, Champions for Learning.
More technical, vocational and career-focused scholarships and internships will prepare students for a good job and a bright future.
In addition, these efforts will build our workforce, attract new businesses and stimulate economic development.
Read “Cradle-to-Career Collaborations” – a report on what area experts have to say about the challenges of inadequate scholarship opportunities and lack of high-paying jobs that require advanced education and training, and how the Community Foundation will help support college and career readiness programs and scholarships to build our workforce.