Florida Construction News staff writer
St. Petersburg College has been awarded $7.2 million to help establish the Semiconductor, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning Training for Technicians (SMART Tech) 4.0 lab.
The college will build facilities, purchase equipment and acquire training materials with $3.2 million from the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund and $4 million from the Workforce Development Capitalization Grant Program.
“Today’s investments in St. Petersburg College’s SMART Tech 4.0 lab reinforce Florida’s spot as the #1 state for talent development,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a statement. “We are committed to investing in opportunities that help students develop the skills necessary to land high-wage jobs and become leaders in industry.”
Semiconductors and advanced manufacturing are target industries for the state of Florida. Over the past two years, the state has invested nearly $400 million into growing these sectors. This award builds on these investments as Florida continues to attract and retain businesses in these high-demand industries.
The Florida Job Growth Grant Fund promotes public infrastructure and workforce training across the state. Proposals are reviewed by FloridaCommerce and are chosen by Governor DeSantis to meet the demands for workforce training or infrastructure needs in communities around the state. For more information on the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund, click here.
The Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Program offers grants to school districts and Florida College System institutions. Grants cover the costs of creating or expanding career and technical education workforce development programs.
