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New Florida education commissioner emphasizes apprenticeships, workforce paths
Summary
Henry Mack, newly appointed Florida Commissioner of Education, said he will prioritize coupling education with industry, highlighting registered apprenticeships and a Department of Labor study that found apprentices earn $15,000–$21,000 more on average five years out.
Florida Commissioner of Education Henry Mack, who told the audience he was "day 4 on the job," framed his agenda around stronger links between education and industry. Mack praised Florida's use of registered apprenticeships and said short-term workforce certification programs can be accelerated with federal support such as 'workforce Pell' to fund nonloan-based short-term credentials in school districts and technical colleges.
Mack cited a Department of Labor review of roughly 10,000 apprentices showing that, on average, apprentices earned $15,000 to $21,000 more five years after starting compared with equivalent four-year degree earners in the same occupations. He said Florida has already invested in incentives for apprenticeships and will continue to push registered apprenticeship models and career-technical education pathways.
