St. Lucie schools, EDC launch K–12 'Classrooms to Careers' partnership to boost local workforce pipeline

St. Lucie Public Schools and the St. Lucie County Economic Development Council presented a districtwide Classroom to Careers initiative on Jan. 28 that aims to introduce career awareness in elementary grades, expand career and technical education (CTE) pathways in middle and high school, and increase business-led internships and industry partnerships.

The program is built around four goals: earlier career awareness, a seamless K–12 pathway from exploration to employment, stronger employer engagement and a comprehensive marketing and outreach plan. “We are very excited about this classrooms to careers initiative,” EDC chair Aslina Golsteyn said, urging business participation in a partnership she described as “the bridge that connects the business community and the school district.”

Why it matters: District leaders said the initiative responds to local employers’ needs for job-ready graduates and to students’ early career aspirations. Superintendent Dr. Gregory Prince framed the effort as both academic and workforce strategy: “We are going to advocate for kids. We are going to advocate for all children, and we're gonna provide opportunity to all children,” he said, emphasizing that the district wants to start career exploration in elementary school.

What officials described: Deputy Superintendent Dr. Helen Wilde said the district will expand existing programs — Xello (a career-exploration portfolio), kindergarten Play With Purpose, industry certifications and CTE courses — and add structured experiences in elementary and middle grades. The district plans teacher and counselor training beginning in February and full implementation in 2025–26 for the elementary rollout of Xello.

The Economic Development Council described employer outreach already in progress. EDC workforce director Anita Fisher said employers are “willing to take someone without the skill set needed that day to start the job,” and reported over 40 business partners attended a recent lunch-and-learn and CTE tours at local high schools. The EDC said the county visited Bowling Green, Kentucky, to study a regional model (SCK Launch) and will form a Treasure Coast Center for Educational and Economic Development, a separate 501(c)(3), to serve as the operational conduit for the Classroom to Careers work.

Program components officials highlighted include: expanded use of Xello for k–12 career portfolios (elementary rollout and teacher/media-specialist training in February), industry tours and expanded internships for high school students, 10 pre-apprenticeship programs for students 16 and older, a summer internship push, and coordinated employer engagement to align credentials and soft‑skills expectations.

Officials said the EDC and district will pursue grants and local funding for program elements; Anita Fisher said she is working with the Education Foundation on grant opportunities to scale internships and an elementary-to-high-school pipeline. The EDC and district also plan targeted marketing and 8th-grade exploration events modeled on the Bowling Green program that brought business partners into middle schools to run career activities.

Caveats and next steps: District staff and the EDC said much of the work is already underway — business tours, expanded CTE fairs, Xello training and creation of the 501(c)(3) — but they did not give an overall budget figure or a firm timeline for every element. Dr. Wilde said Classroom to Careers will be a proposed superintendent goal for 2025–26 and that elementary implementation of Xello will begin with training in February 2025. The EDC will continue employer visits and report back to the board on progress.

The presentation included student examples of career aspirations, emphasizing early exposure: students said they wanted to be chefs, engineers, veterinarians and marine biologists, a point district officials used to argue for starting career awareness in early grades.

Board reaction: Board members praised the partnerships and urged grant-seeking and local fundraising to scale the program. Several board members emphasized the importance of soft skills and opportunities for students who prefer workforce entry over four‑year college.

Funding and accountability: Officials described grant-seeking and a new nonprofit vehicle to coordinate employer partnership work; specific budget amounts for the program as a whole were not specified during the presentation.