DeSantis wants to expand school vocational, technical training

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (News Service of Florida) — Governor Ron DeSantis, citing a need to have a nimble workforce that meets market demands, has unveiled the first part of his proposed education spending, with it geared toward expanding vocational and technical training in the state.

To address that concern, DeSantis signed an executive order that directs the state Department of Education to do an internal audit on its career- and technical-education programs and to coordinate with the state Department of Economic Opportunity and business interests to ensure students are trained to meet market demands.

In addition to his executive order, the governor also wants to put a greater emphasis on computer science classes. He is asking lawmakers to consider a proposal that would put in state law that computer science classes can count as a science requirement toward high school graduation.

“The problem is there are not enough teachers who are qualified to teach this right now, so we are going to put more money behind training teachers in computer science," DeSantis said.

With that in mind, DeSantis said he is asking the Legislature to put $10 million into programs that will allow teachers to get certificates in computer science. The goal, DeSantis says, is to put Florida on the map as the top place for vocational training in the country by 2030. Right now, the state is ranked number 24.