Florida’s Private Schools Stay Current in Emerging Market:

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Feb. 5, 2016 - PRLog -- The Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools and Colleges (FAPSC) echoes the news today issued as part of its Shortage of Skills profile by the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU) (http://www.career.org/news-and-media/press-releases/Shortage-of-Skills-Automotive-Repair.cfm). Florida will be confronted with a looming shortage of skilled professionals in the face of swelling unemployment and an aging workforce.

In the example issued, FAPSC agrees that mechanics – whether in automotive, motorcycle or marine repair – will continue to be in demand through 2022, and that quality education that stays ahead of the technological demand is the answer to ensuring that a new generation will discover this vocation.

In Florida, a state that annually welcomes an estimated quarter of a million race fans to the Daytona 500 and a half of a million motorcycle enthusiasts to Bike Week and Biketoberfest as well as millions of boaters on lakes and waterways, mechanical repair will remain an essential part of the economy.

In a given year, Florida’s career schools contribute significantly to the number of skilled mechanics trained to meet the demand. Approximately 40 percent of automotive technology repair technicians in the state are trained at Florida’s career schools.

As for motorcycle and marine repair, career colleges are able to specialize and provide this training and dominate the career training options. More than 90 percent of skilled mechanics entering the workforce in these two areas of specialization refine their skills at a career school.

Nationally, automotive technology fields of study are anticipated to grow 9 percent in automotive repair and 12 percent in diesel mechanic demand by 2022, Florida expects to keep pace or exceed that growth.

Being responsive to this growth need, in fact, a new school recently opened in the Jacksonville area.

Florida’s career colleges – with locations in most regions of the state – have the classrooms, labs and other learning experiences today that are equipped with the latest engines, motors and tools needed by mechanics. This profession has undergone radical change in recent years with the integration of new automation and technologies, which has redefined the skills needed.

By providing hands-on training for these essential professionals, Florida’s career schools literally will keep the Sunshine State running as new innovations continue to emerge in these fields of study.

FAPSC (fapsc.org) has been the voice of Florida’s career schools since 1956. The association of more than 250 member schools works on behalf of the more than 1,000 licensed private career schools and colleges in Florida that prepare students each year for employment in more than 200 occupational fields by offering degree programs, certification and training.