‘These are the kinds of partnerships we need to replicate across Florida to secure our state’s future.’
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The Florida Chamber Foundation says Northwest Florida will need workers for nearly 28,000 new jobs over the next five years. A new case study points to partnerships among employers, colleges and community organizations that are already turning training programs and internships into hires.
The study focuses on Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties, where the Foundation says the population has grown 9% since 2020. It highlights programs involving American Magic, BlueWind Technology and ST Engineering, along with Pensacola State College, the University of West Florida Talent Catalyst and the Children’s Home Society of Greater Pensacola.
American Magic has hired five Pensacola State graduates who previously held internships involving computer numerical control and composite cutting. Its work with UWF Talent Catalyst has produced eight student hires, including four who moved into full-time jobs after graduation.
BlueWind Technology employed 76 people through its second-chance employment program in 2025, according to the Foundation. The program provides opportunities to applicants with previous involvement in the criminal justice system.
ST Engineering and Pensacola State have also built a pipeline for aviation workers. After the first cohort in the college’s A&P aviation-maintenance program graduated in June, ST Engineering offered 10 full-time positions to the class’s 11 graduates.
Enrollment in the program has since reached 100 trainees, with a new facility planned that could accommodate as many as 200 students. Pensacola State’s commercial driver’s license program also reported a 91% completion rate during the 2025-26 academic year, with 85% of graduates employed by July.
“Northwest Florida is showing Florida what happens when business and education stop working in silos and start solving workforce challenges together,” said Mark Wilson, President and CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Foundation. “These are the kinds of partnerships we need to replicate across Florida to secure our state’s future.”
The case study is part of the Chamber Foundation’s Future of Work Florida initiative, which examines how employers, educational institutions and community groups can respond to changing workforce needs.
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