CareerEdge receives $125,000 grant from Gulf Coast Community Foundation

CareerEdge, the workforce development initiative led by the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, has been awarded a $125,000 grant from Gulf Coast Community Foundation. Supported by the A. Hamilton and Edith T. Gardner Fund, the grant further advances its partnership with GCCF, which is among the founding benefactors of CareerEdge.

The grant will support CareerEdge Funders Collaborative's initiatives in helping build a labor force for growing industries by leveraging community assets and forming workforce partnerships. CareerEdge is the workforce development initiative of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce.

CareerEdge will use the funds to implement demand-driven strategies including fast-track training programs, on-the-job training, internship reimbursement and employer funding to upskill employees.

“This investment is critical in supporting our team’s efforts in closing skills gaps to support employers while also allowing individuals in our community to jumpstart a career and enhance their long-term earnings potential,” said Dan Sidler, the Chamber’s vice president of CareerEdge and economic development, in a news release.

Since its inception in 2010, CareerEdge and its employer partners have invested $15.7 million, providing training for 7,194 workers resulting in 1,548 promotions, 4,775 wage increases, and $38.2 million in workers’ aggregate annual earnings. According to CareerEdge, in 2022 it invested $1.1 million in workforce development, resulting in $3 million in added wages, 501 workers trained, 93 new jobs created and 170 new employment opportunities.

CareerEdge Funders Collaborative is a partnership of business, government and philanthropic organizations leveraging public and private dollars to provide opportunities for better jobs and wages in Manatee and Sarasota counties.