LEE COUNTY , Fla. — Michael Bovee of Cape Coral is a 20-year army vet. He says he’s not letting a recent injury, the pandemic, or reports of robots pushing out employees discourage him in his job hunt.
“I think it’s going to compliment what folks do out there, and make technology an enabler to what we do in the workforce,” he said.
A survey by the World Economic Forum reveals one-third of companies surveyed worldwide agree with Bovee. When asked, 34 percent said they plan to expand their workforce within the next five years because of technology. But, 43 percent say they plan to downsize because of it.
To stay in the running, Bovee took an entrepreneurship course at Florida Gulf Coast University.
“There are veteran programs to enable veterans out here in industry, who are taking common things that are needed like welders, chefs, cybersecurity,” he said.
He also registered for support with career source. The center’s spokesperson Jim Wall says they’re planning to equip workers with the skills employers are looking for in the next five years with an ongoing workshop.
“A trilogy symposium. Where we’re going to look at future employment trends,” said Wall.
The first part of the symposium will ask local businesses to identify their specific workforce needs for the next two to five years. Next, they’ll identify educational and training needs, and finally they’ll apply for funding for those training programs.
In the meantime, Wall says do what Bovee is doing and add more tools to your employee tool belt.
“We’re seeing our educational partners move to credentialing,” he said. “So that there are short-term credentials. Keeping your skills up-to-date as technology changes.”
Career source will start their three-part workforce symposium starting in January.
