DOE briefs Florida subcommittee on rising workforce education funding, program growth and data gaps

The Florida Department of Education told the House Higher Education Budget Subcommittee on Nov. 24, 2025, that state investment in workforce education has increased and that programs are serving substantially more students, but staff said some outcome and geographic-distribution data requested by members are not yet available and will be provided later.

Chancellor Ashley Yap Maros, who presented the department's briefing, described Florida's workforce education system as a two-tiered network of 28 state colleges (the Florida College System) and 47 technical colleges/career centers run by 33 school districts. She said the system includes adult basic education; apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships; career certificates; applied technology diplomas; and associate-level degrees that are intended to align directly with employer demand.

Why it matters: Committee members said the funding and program growth matter because they affect capacity in high-demand fields such as nursing, health-related technician roles and transportation/logistics, and because lawmakers must decide how much the General Appropriations Act should allocate to maintain or expand those programs.

Funding and scale: The department reported that recurring state appropriations to district workforce programs totaled $463 million for fiscal year 2025–26, with districts also receiving performance-based dollars including $8.5 million for industry-certification attainment and $20 million in pipeline funds. In addition, Chancellor Yap Maros said Florida College System program funds for 2025–26 totaled $1.68 billion and served more than 680,000 students last year, about 40% of whom were enrolled in workforce programs.

Program growth and outcomes: The department said enrollment increased notably across credential types: the transcript records career-certificate enrollment rising from 47,824 in 2023–24 to 53,532 in 2024–25 (roughly a 12% increase), and apprenticeship/pre-apprenticeship participation increasing from about 12,123 to 13,610. Total postsecondary CTE headcount in 2024–25 exceeded 500,000 — a rise the department described as historic — and completions rose from 76,806 in 2023–24 to 80,972 in 2024–25.

Funding mechanics and credential funding: The department explained how fundable FTE is calculated for workforce funding (instructional hours divided by 900) and outlined the Master Credentials List and the credentials-review process established by the REACH Act (2021). On industry certifications, the department said statutory rates would require roughly $12.5 million to fully fund the list at $1,000 per certification; with a current appropriation of $8.5 million the department prorates awards and groups certifications into three tiers by labor-market wage expectations. The department requested an additional $4 million in its legislative budget proposal to reduce proration.

Grants and targeted investments: The presentation highlighted several state grant programs: WorkforceCap (capital grants to expand CTE capacity), which the department said has awarded about $240 million since 2023; the Pathways to Career Opportunities Grant (PCOG), used to fund registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs (the department said it has invested more than $105 million at 124 agencies since 2019 and released $14.6 million for in‑demand occupations in the current round); the Grow Your Own Registered Teacher Apprenticeship (the department said $15 million was appropriated); and nursing-focused pipeline and Line Fund investments (the transcript cites $20 million to districts and $40 million to colleges for pipeline funding and $30 million in line funds split among institutions and universities). The GATE scholarship, Open Door financial aid, and Gold Seal CAPE/Vocational scholarship programs were presented as direct student supports.

Requests for follow-up data: Several members pressed for data the department did not have at the hearing: Representative Franklin asked why some Bright Futures vocational awards appear lower than expected and whether students are choosing alternative pathways; he also asked whether small employers face barriers to participating in apprenticeship programs. Representative Sapp asked how many completers remain in Florida and work in the fields for which they were trained. Representatives asked for information on geographic concentration of wait lists in high-demand programs, a 'cheat sheet' of jobs graduates obtain, and remaining balances in Open Door funds. Chancellor Yap Maros repeatedly offered to provide the requested district-level and placement data after the hearing.

Adjournment and next steps: Committee staff asked members to submit additional follow-up questions; staff and Department of Education officials agreed to provide the requested data at a future meeting. Representative Gossett Seidman moved to rise, and the committee adjourned without objection.

Sources: Presentation and Q&A with Chancellor Ashley Yap Maros, Division of Career and Adult Education, Florida Department of Education; members of the Florida House Higher Education Budget Subcommittee.