Rector O’Farrell of the Department of Education visits EFSC

View the visit’s photo album on Flickr.

September 1, 2022 – Florida Department of Education President Kevin O’Farrell visited Eastern Florida State University on Thursday to tour the Cocoa Campus facilities and learn more about EFSC’s major workforce programs.

O’Farrell, dean of careers, technology, and adult education, visited the lab and spoke with students in aerospace technology, mechatronics, computerized machining, welding, and HVAC.

He also spoke about the university’s new 10-year master plan for the Cocoa Campus, which will invest $87 million to build new academic buildings for high-tech and STEM programs, including a state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing center. I received an explanation.

“Eastern Florida State University prepares students for careers in a variety of in-demand fields and partners with local business and industry leaders to meet specific needs to ensure student success. “We’re doing an excellent job of adjusting the program so that we can do that,” said O’Farrell.

Dr. Randy Fletcher, EFSC’s vice president of academic and student affairs and chief learning officer, said O’Farrell had the opportunity to see how students in the program “get jobs as soon as they complete the curriculum.”

“The labs we create in all our advanced technology programs are state-of-the-art, and when you combine that with quality, hands-on instruction from industry-proven faculty, the learning and skills that students acquire are It will be extraordinary.”

“EFSC is beginning to set itself apart in the quality, work-ready training it provides to residents throughout Brevard County and the Space Coast,” he said.

O’Farrell is the third Florida education leader to visit EFSC in recent months.

In June, Henry Mack, Senior Chancellor of the Florida Department of Education, chaired a meeting of Space Coast high-tech and economic development stakeholders at its Melbourne campus to discuss more in areas such as the commercial space and defense industries. We discussed training the workers of

In June, Kathy Hebda, president of the Florida College System, toured new facilities such as the Institute of Health Sciences on the Melbourne campus and spoke with students.

EFSC’s central role in employee education received a significant boost earlier this year when the Florida Legislature and Governor Ron DeSantis approved $21 million in funding for two major new tech centers. rice field.

These are the Center for Innovative Technology Education (CITE) on the Melbourne campus and the Aerospace Center of Excellence (ACE) on the Titusville campus.

CITE is designed to meet the urgent need for more technical support staff in a rapidly growing and changing industry. The facility features labs that can be easily configured to give students access to software used by high-tech companies.

This approach brings together state-of-the-art equipment, coursework, and students working in teams to simulate working environments and best practices used in the industry.

Importantly, training can be tailored to the specific needs of each individual company, providing a go-to place to expand your workforce and provide ongoing education to existing staff. , also helps start-ups gain a foothold as they start building their technical teams.

ACE will provide a location for the university’s aerospace technology program to expand to its Titusville campus, ideally located adjacent to the Kennedy Space Center.

The program is based on and centered on the Cocoa Campus. Cocoa’s students work as apprentices at her KSC and often land jobs immediately upon graduation.

With dozens of new commercial space companies located near Titusville, ACE will provide much-needed training for North Brevard students and double the size of its two-year degree program in aerospace technology can.