STEEL BLUE FABRICATION LAUNCHES IN HIGHLANDS COUNTY
Highlands County welcomes one of its newest businesses – Steel Blue Fabrication, which provides meter sets to natural gas and propane gas markets. Owners Charles Devlin, John Paul Heston, Ed Whalen and Steve Baltzley recently started the company to provide quicker delivery of meter sets to customers throughout Florida.  Read more here.

SOUTH FLORIDA STATE COLLEGE AWARDED NEARLY $2.3 MILLION FOR MANUFACTURING, CONSTRUCTION AND ELECTRONIC WARFARE PROGRAMS
Three new or expanded workforce training efforts will soon be launched in Highlands County to further develop skills related to manufacturing, construction, and electronic warfare.
 
The Governor's office recently announced that South Florida State College has been awarded nearly $2.3 million from the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund. 

The college will use the funds to support the development of job training projects in three areas:

1. The expansion of the mechatronics/advanced manufacturing curriculum designed to prepare individuals for employment in industrial mechanics and industrial maintenance;
2. The development of a construction institute intended to provide job training programs in basic building trades and residential construction skills; and
3. The creation of a job training program for veterans and transitioning military personnel to gain the skills needed for employment as electronic warfare technicians, an identified need in Florida’s defense-based industries.  Read more here. 

LOCAL EDUCATORS EXPLORE INTEGRATING ROBOTICS AND UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS INTO CURRICULA
Highlands News-Sun By John Rousch
Recently, the school district planning team for the Aviation/ Aerospace curriculum met with representatives of South Florida State College to explore integrating the curricula to create “Options and Opportunities” in Robotics and Unmanned Aerial Systems for students. This assist in creating a career pathway where students can make an informed decision about their future. Everyone involved is very excited and it makes sense to add another significant partner to our community youth aviation education efforts. We recognize that every student involved in the Youth Aviation Education Programs will not be a pilot but they all will be able to make an informed decision about what they might explore in the wide range of technological career paths. They also develop the “soft skills” that are valuable in the workplace, such as problem-solving, teamwork, leadership, and developing a work ethic. Read more here.