We are all familiar with trends that portend a troubling prognosis for our state if we fail to build up the workforce development pipeline in health care. The Employ Florida Banner Center for Health Sciences represents our effort to bring education, workforce development, economic development and industry leaders to the same table to create innovative programs that expand training opportunities for people interested in working in health care and those already employed in the sector wishing to advance their skills and knowledge.

Our center is one of 10 new programs financed through a $6.2 million Workforce Florida initiative to create and provide rigorous and relevant new training for workers in industries that diversify Florida's economy. Industries served by other Centers include aviation/aerospace, manufacturing, financial services, energy, homeland security and defense and construction. We expect all these Centers to grow into leading, go-to resources that industry and those seeking to launch or advance their careers in these high-skill, high-wage sectors can rely on for top quality training.

This Center represents not only a significant step in our efforts to meet the current and future regional demand for more skilled health care professionals, but also positions the college and all our partners to take on a greater leadership role in tackling the statewide personnel shortage in the allied health and nursing fields.

Program/Course Offerings

During our first six months, the Center has already answered the needs of business and industry with new Advanced Certificate programs in Polysomnography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and Computed Tomography that will be offered in Fall 2007 at Valencia Community College. Seminole Community College is putting the finishing touches on a new A.S. Degree in Health Information Management and we're holding Simulation Training for incumbent workers at Lake Sumter Community College. The College of Nursing at the University of Central Florida is working on a model for integrating simulation training into nurse education.

This is an Employ Florida Banner Center sponsored in part by Workforce Florida, Inc.