Florida’s education system is currently number one in the world for entrepreneurial education and training.

Video Courtesy of the Governor’s Press Office

Tallahassee, Florida — Today, Gov. Ron DeSantis awarded $1.9 million to support entrepreneurship education and training programs at eight state colleges and 17 school districts across the state. This funding will help students learn how to run a small business and connect them to opportunities available in their area. The award creates and supports programs in colleges, high schools and middle schools. A list of institutions receiving funding for 2022-2023 can be found here. Click here to view the video.

Florida’s education system is currently number one in the world for entrepreneurship education and training, with more than 20,000 students earning industry certifications in entrepreneurship and small business (ESB) since 2020. Since his ESB certificate was first issued in 2017,

The ESB Certification is a rigorous professional exam that validates foundation-level concepts and knowledge to become an entrepreneur and small business owner. Florida has even surpassed world leader China in the number of her ESB certificates students have obtained.

“Under Governor DeSantis’ leadership, Florida has led the way in ensuring that our students receive the right skill-based training through our career and technical education programs.” School Board Manny Diaz Jr. said: “These programs are rigorous and in high demand, giving students the opportunity to jump right into a career without going into debt.”

These awards are provided through the Perkins V Entrepreneurship Education and Training Grant (EET), which is intended to foster entrepreneurship-related initiatives across state Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. Since 2020, $5.5 million has been awarded to 45 individual institutions. Through its CTE program, Florida’s Perkins V-State Plan is committed to building a strong, entrepreneurial statewide ecosystem. The plan recognizes how self-employment and value-creating capabilities contribute to Florida’s economic security. For this reason, this plan aims to help all her CTE stakeholders understand how to better support interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial thinking and action across all career paths. is.

EET grants fund a variety of initiatives, including professional development and certification programs for teachers in entrepreneurial education, the development of student idea accelerator programs, and startup boot camps for budding entrepreneurs. This grant will also help defray the costs associated with integrating entrepreneurship education and training into all of his CTE study programs in Florida. This grant is intended to help school districts and universities expand community and business partnerships and deepen connections.

###