South Florida Community College (SFCC) is collaborating with Vercipia Biofuels and other biofuel/biomass companies in Florida's agricultural heartland to address the technician workforce needs of the advanced biofuels industry. The goals of the project are to educate technicians to work in the advanced biofuels production industry and agriculture biomass production; develop instructional materials about advanced biofuels production; and establish a biofuels education pathway from area high schools to South Florida Community College to Florida universities.
To achieve its goals, the Bioenergy Education project is creating (1) Associate of Science degree programs in Biofuels Technology and in Biomass Cultivation, (2) industry-recognized certificate education programs in biofuels technology and biomass production, (3) transfer agreements with Florida universities, (4) continuing education workshops and seminars for biofuel industry professionals, and (5) dual-enrollment biofuels education courses for area high school students interested in biofuels. The evaluation plan is collecting quantitative data on participant enrollment, retention, graduation, transfer, and employment, and qualitative data on participant and employer satisfaction.
