The Bradenton Area Workforce

With a regional labor pool of over 1,800,000, the Bradenton Area provides businesses with access to a ready workforce with a wide range of talents and skills. Strong partnerships between the Bradenton Area EDC, education and training institutions, workforce development agencies and training grants funders provide innovative solutions to employers.

Whether your company is looking to locate or expand, the Bradenton Area EDC and its workforce partners are ready to assist you with recruitment, training or retention strategies.

Assisting more than 700 Florida businesses, Florida’s Quick Response Training Grant program is positioned to increase productivity and profitability for a company’s new hires.  Over the last 20 years, the program has funded training for more than 123,500 employees.  The pinnacle of this program is the ability to provide and implement flexible and customized training for your full-time, permanent employees.  Only available to new and expanding companies in the state, grants valued up to half a million dollars are available on a first-come, first-served basis.  At the EDC, we would love to connect you to our partners at CareerSource Florida to learn more.

This program provides training to currently employed workers to keep Florida’s workforce competitive in a global economy and to retain established businesses. Available to all Florida businesses that have been in operation for at least one year prior to application and that require skills upgrade training for existing employees. Priority is given to businesses in targeted industries Enterprise Zones and Brownfield areas.

This program provides development courses and training for your staff with the intent of upgrading employees’ skills, retain jobs and advance current employees’ wages.  Available to all Manatee County businesses that have been in operation for at least six months prior to application and have at least one full-time employee, other than and not related to the owner.

The Bradenton Area Offers a Diverse Regional Workforce

Recruitment and Training
CareerSource Suncoast is the local division of the state’s workforce system. The agency provides businesses access to a host of workforce-related services at low to no cost at all. Recruitment and employee screening, linkages to training institutions and access to training grants are key services employers will find through CareerSource Suncoast.

Recruitment and Job Seeking
Companies may post job openings and review resumes online through a free job and resume database. Job-seekers may post resumes and search for openings here.

Training Grants
Companies that meet certain criteria can boost employee skills with various training grants. Contact us today to find out how your company may qualify.

Training Assistance
CareerEdge is the first Funders Collaborative designated as a National Fund for Workforce Solutions site in the Southeastern US. The collaborative uses donated funds to create a skilled labor pool in the Manatee-Sarasota region and helps local employers find the talent they need. CareerEdge Funders Collaborative, a national-award-winning workforce and employer-led innovative initiative, partners directly with employers in fast-growing sectors in the regional economy, to help them fill skills gaps and meet their employment needs, while at the same time assisting individuals in entering the workforce and moving up career ladders. CareerEdge is a cutting-edge initiative and is transforming the way stakeholders and policymakers in the region and around the state look at career training.

Our skilled workforce begins with the education students in the Bradenton Area receive from our area public and private schools. The highly-rated public schools within the Bradenton Area provide focused career pathways for students interested in professional and technical careers. Our innovative approach to education such as Career Academies and Smaller Learning Communities have had an impact locally and nationally. Notably, Manatee County is home to the first nationally accredited academy in the United States.

It doesn’t stop there and neither should your degree. The Bradenton Area has robust postsecondary educational opportunities for students graduating high school as well as specialized programs for the lifelong learner.