by
Joseph Gallina | Apr 06, 2021
AMIkids Inc. Joins State of Florida’s Apprenticeship System
Florida Department of Education has officially designated AMIkids as a participant
Dropbox folder of stock images of AMIkids kids training
TAMPA, Fla., – AMIkids Inc., a national nonprofit organization that has been transforming troubled youth into responsible members of the community for more than 50 years, is proud to announce that it has been accepted into the State of Florida’s Apprenticeship System by the Florida Department of Education.
Focusing on the fields of carpentry, electrical, HVAC, piping and plumbing, and sheet metal work, the 22 AMIkids programs located throughout the state can partner with local industry associations to offer industry-certified pre-apprenticeship programming.
Currently, AMIkids is operating a Pre-Apprenticeship program in Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Fort Myers, in partnership with the Lennar Foundation, as well as programs at Tampa and Pinellas Park through a different Florida Department of Education grant.
“Being a member of the state’s apprenticeship system will allow us to provide more direct access to high paying jobs in the expanding field of home and commercial construction for our program participants,” says Michael Thornton, President & CEO, AMIkids Inc. “We look forward to the opportunity to expand our programming to our other programs across the state in the future, helping so many more youth enter the job market ready to work and strengthen their communities.”
Current partners in the Pre-Apprenticeship programs include:
- Hillsborough Community College (HCC)
- Pinellas Technical College (PTC)
- St. Petersburg College
- Pinellas Technical College
- Lennar Foundation
- Masonry Association of Florida
- Florida Department of Education, State Apprenticeship Office
- CareerSource Tampa Bay
- CareerSource Pinellas
There is no cost to the participants to participate in an AMIkids Florida Registered Preapprenticeship Program. Once the participants finish our program, they are assisted in registering for a construction focused Registered Apprenticeship Program.
For more information and to learn how to apply to the Registered Preapprenticeship Program, please contact the appropriate AMIkids Program Executive Director:
Pinellas County: Pinellas-ED@amikids.org
Hillsborough County: Tampa-ED@amikids.org
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About AMIkids:
AMIkids is a national nonprofit organization that serves at-risk youth with 47 local programs in nine states throughout the country. Since 1969, AMIkids has empowered more than 150,000 boys and girls from across the nation, helping to transform their lives and guide them towards a bright future. For more information, visit: AMIkids.org.