Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday the first rollout of a new statewide emergency management workforce initiative at Florida International University, with 11 colleges already committed to participating.
The Coalition for Operational Readiness in Education, or CORE, is designed to connect students with practical training and career pathways in emergency management through partnerships among colleges, universities, training institutes, government agencies and private-sector organizations.
The initiative was developed through the Florida Division of Emergency Management, FloridaCommerce and the Florida Department of Education. It will offer students customized learning pathways that can include credentials, internships, apprenticeships and professional networking opportunities.
While CORE will support students already enrolled in emergency management programs, the initiative is also intended to attract students from other fields with skills applicable to disaster response. The administration cited finance, communications, trade programs and military studies as areas that could feed into emergency management careers.
FIU is the first institution to formally roll out the program. DeSantis said the state ultimately wants CORE to reach every college, university, technical school and trade school in Florida.
State officials said the program is intended to strengthen Florida’s pipeline of workers trained in disaster preparation, response and recovery while giving students more hands-on experience before graduation.
