Miami, Feb. 8, 2023 – Miami Dade College (MDC), in partnership with Miami-Dade County, City of Miami, Miami-Dade Beacon Council, Refresh Miami, Florida International University, OIC of South Florida, Florida Memorial University and CareerSource South Florida, launches Miami Tech Works. This industry-led tech-sector initiative will bring together a critical mass of business leaders with education and training providers to align academic programs with industry needs.
Miami Tech Works will officially kick off with a Tech Talent Coalition meeting on Friday, Feb. 17, from 9 – 11 a.m. at MDC’s Idea Center in downtown Miami. Speakers will include MDC President Madeline Pumariega; Miami-Dade County Major Daniella Levine Cava; U.S. Assistant Secretary, Economic Development Administration Alejandra Castillo and Fred Voccola, CEO at Kaseya. Working media is welcome.
Powered by a $10 million grant award from the Good Jobs Challenge initiative by the U.S. Economic Development Administration, Miami Tech Works signifies the launch of a ground-breaking effort to drive active collaboration among critical stakeholders to create a sustainable and fortified local tech talent pipeline.
“What Miami needs now is to be able to close that gap between companies looking for tech talent and the number of talented students and people that we have in Miami that want to get into these high-paying jobs that we see growing in Miami,” said Antonio Delgado, Vice President of Innovation and Technology Partnerships at MDC, who spearheaded the grant to fund Miami Tech Works.
The Tech Talent Coalition is open to decision-makers in businesses looking for talent in tech-related positions in South Florida; C-level executives that believe that the success of their business is related to the success of their community; academic institutions and training providers wanting to stay up to date with hiring trends in tech and individuals with a passion for Miami’s tech talent development. There is no charge to join and the main goal is that discussions lead to jobs. Interested employers can sign up to attend here.
Serving as Director of Miami Tech Works is Terri-Ann Brown, who previously worked as director of community partnerships with The Venture Mentoring Team, a nonprofit that provides certified mentors to support innovative startups and minority-owned small businesses. Brown will lead a three-phase project that seeks to provide the local community with a full pathway to employment in the growing Miami Tech ecosystem.
“The Tech Talent Coalition will bring together businesses, community support organizations and anyone passionate about South Florida technology growth. It is my honor to partner with anyone focused on elevating South Florida residents toward high-paying jobs in tech,” Brown said.
After the inaugural assembly, the Tech Talent Coalition will continue meeting once a month and likely generate working groups for different industries. It is expected that later this year information from those discussions, as well as broader surveys, focus groups, and learnings from best practices in other cities, will be used to develop or improve training models and create a plan to recruit underserved workers.
Miami Tech Works will then launch a Talent Database, hosted on Tech News Website Refresh Miami, where workers can register and be matched with potential opportunities. That data will also be used to identify skills gaps. There are also plans to develop wrap-around services after hires are made and implement more job placement activities, such as internships, talent town halls and hiring fairs.
For more information about Miami Tech Works, please contact Terri-Ann Brown at miamitechworks@mdc.edu.
WHAT: Miami Tech Works’ Tech Talent Coalition Inaugural Meeting
WHEN: Friday, Feb. 17, 9 – 11 a.m.
WHERE: MDC’s The Idea Center, 315 NE Second Ave 5th Floor