Fort Myers, FL – The Lee County Economic Development Office, in collaboration with community partners, offers Workforce Training and Certification programs and a Small Business Technical Assistance Program to assist people, businesses and organizations in response to COVID-19.
The programs were developed under the direction of the Lee Board of County Commissioners and are funded through the federal American Rescue Plan Act.
The Workforce Training & Certification Program will offer micro and rapid credentialing programs in response to the education and skills deficiency for disproportionately affected communities exacerbated by COVID-19. Tuition assistance and scholarships paid through $3 million in ARPA funds will be available for in-demand programs in areas such as health care, real estate/construction and technology offered by:
- Florida Southwestern State College
- Florida Gulf Coast University
- Hodges University
The Small Business Technical Assistance Program will be funded by $475,000 paid to local partners offering technical assistance to small businesses and nonprofits such as business mentoring, organizational development, capital access planning and more.
Partners for the assistance program include:
- Small Business Development Center
- SCORE
- Southwest Regional Manufacturers Association
- SW Florida Impact Partners
- Goodwill SWFL – MicroEnterprise Institute
For a full list of programs and services offered, as well as contact information for community partners, visit www.leegov.com/ARPA.
