Veterans Employment and Training Services Program.

(1) LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT.—The Legislature finds that the state has a compelling interest in ensuring that each veteran or his or her spouse who is a resident of this state finds employment that meets his or her professional goals and receives the training or education necessary to meet those goals. The Legislature also finds that connecting dedicated, well-trained veterans with businesses that need a dedicated, well-trained workforce is of paramount importance. The Legislature recognizes that veterans or their spouses may not currently have the skills to meet the workforce needs of Florida employers and may require assistance in obtaining additional workforce training or in transitioning their skills to meet the demands of the marketplace. It is the intent of the Legislature that the Veterans Employment and Training Services Program coordinate and meet the needs of veterans and their spouses and the business community to enhance the economy of this state.

(2) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this section, the term:

(a) “Secondary industry business” is a business that the state has an additional interest in supporting and for which veterans and their spouses may have directly transferable skills. Such businesses are in the fields of health care, agriculture, commercial construction, education, law enforcement, and public service.

(b) “Servicemember” means any person serving as a member of the United States Armed Forces on active duty or state active duty and all members of the Florida National Guard and United States Reserve Forces.

(c) “Target industry business” is a business as defined in s. 288.005.

(d) “Target market” means servicemembers of the United States Armed Forces who have 24 months or less until discharge, veterans with 36 months or less since discharge, and members of the Florida National Guard or reserves. The term includes spouses of such individuals, and surviving spouses of such individuals who have not remarried.

(3) CREATION.—The Veterans Employment and Training Services Program is created within the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to assist in connecting servicemembers, veterans, or their spouses who are in the target market with businesses seeking to hire dedicated, well-trained workers and with opportunities for entrepreneurship education, training, and resources. The purpose of the program is to meet the workforce demands of businesses in this state by facilitating access to training and education in high-demand fields for such individuals and to inspire the growth and development of veteran-owned small businesses.

(4) ADMINISTRATION.—Florida Is For Veterans, Inc., shall administer the Veterans Employment and Training Services Program and perform all of the following functions:

(a) Conduct marketing and recruiting efforts directed at individuals within the target market who reside in or have an interest in relocating to this state and who are seeking employment. Marketing must include information related to how military experience can be valuable to a target industry or secondary industry business. Such efforts may include attending job fairs and events; hosting events for servicemembers, veterans, and their spouses or the business community; and using digital and social media and direct mail campaigns. The corporation shall also include such marketing as part of its main marketing campaign.

(b) Assist individuals in the target market who reside in or relocate to this state and who are seeking employment with target industry or secondary industry businesses. The corporation shall offer skills assessments to such individuals and assist them in establishing employment goals and applying for and achieving gainful employment.

1. Assessment may include skill match information, skill gap analysis, résumé creation, translation of military skills into civilian workforce skills, and translation of military achievements and experience into generally understood civilian workforce skills.

2. Assistance may include providing the servicemember, veteran, or his or her spouse with information on current workforce demand by industry or geographic region, creating employment goals, and aiding or teaching general knowledge related to completing applications.

3. Assessment and assistance may be in person or by electronic means, as determined by the corporation to be most efficient and best meet the needs of veterans or their spouses.

(c) Assist Florida target industry and secondary industry businesses in recruiting and hiring individuals in the target market. The corporation shall provide services to Florida businesses to meet their hiring needs by connecting businesses with suitable applicants for employment. Suitable applicants include veterans or veterans’ spouses who have appropriate job skills or may need additional training to meet the specific needs of a business. The corporation shall also provide information about the state and federal benefits of hiring veterans.

(d) Create a grant program to provide funding to assist individuals in the target market in meeting the workforce-skill needs of target industry and secondary industry businesses seeking to hire, promote, or generally improve specialized skills of veterans, establish criteria for approval of requests for funding, and maximize the use of funding for this program. Grant funds may be used only in the absence of available veteran-specific federally funded programs. Grants may fund specialized training specific to a particular business.

1. The program may prioritize grant funds to be used to provide a certificate, a license, or nondegree training from the Master Credentials List pursuant to s. 445.004(4)(h); any federally created certifications or licenses; and any skills-based industry certifications or licenses deemed relevant or necessary by the corporation. Funds may be allocated only upon a review that includes, but is not limited to, documentation of accreditation and licensure.

2. Costs and expenditures are limited to $8,000 per trainee. Qualified businesses must cover the entire cost for all of the training provided before receiving reimbursement from the corporation equal to 50 percent of the cost to train a veteran who is a permanent, full-time employee. Eligible costs and expenditures include, but are not limited to:

a. Tuition and fees.

b. Books and classroom materials.

c. Rental fees for facilities.

3. Before funds are allocated for a request pursuant to this section, the corporation shall prepare a grant agreement between the business requesting funds and the corporation. Such agreement must include, but need not be limited to:

a. Identification of the personnel necessary to conduct the instructional program, instructional program description, and any vendors used to conduct the instructional program.

b. Identification of the estimated duration of the instructional program.

c. Identification of all direct, training-related costs.

d. Identification of special program requirements that are not otherwise addressed in the agreement.

e. Permission to access aggregate information specific to the wages and performance of participants upon the completion of instruction for evaluation purposes. The agreement must specify that any evaluation published subsequent to the instruction may not identify the employer or any individual participant.

4. A business may receive a grant under any state program and a grant under this section for the same veteran trainee.

(e) Contract with one or more entities to administer an entrepreneur initiative program for individuals in the target market in this state which connects business leaders in the state with such individuals seeking to become entrepreneurs.

1. The corporation shall award each contract in accordance with the competitive bidding requirements in s. 287.057 to one or more public or private entities that:

a. Demonstrate the ability to implement the program and the commitment of resources, including financial resources, to such programs.

b. Have a demonstrated experience working with veteran entrepreneurs.

c. As determined by the corporation, have been recognized for their performance in assisting entrepreneurs to launch successful businesses in this state.

2. Each contract must include performance metrics, including a focus on employment and business creation. The entity may also work with a university or college offering related programs to refer individuals in the target market or to provide services. The entrepreneur initiative program may include activities and assistance such as peer-to-peer learning sessions, mentoring, technical assistance, business roundtables, networking opportunities, support of student organizations, speaker series, or other tools within a virtual environment.

(f) Administer a SkillBridge initiative for target industry and secondary industry businesses in this state and for eligible individuals in the target market who reside in, or who wish to reside in, this state. In administering the initiative, the corporation shall:

1. Establish and maintain, as applicable, its certification for the SkillBridge initiative or any other similar workforce training and transition programs established by the United States Department of Defense;

2. Educate businesses, business associations, and eligible individuals in the target market on the SkillBridge initiative and its benefits, and educate military command and personnel within the state on the opportunities available to eligible individuals in the target market;

3. Assist businesses in obtaining approval for skilled workforce training curricula under the SkillBridge initiative, including, but not limited to, apprenticeships, internships, or fellowships; and

4. Match eligible individuals in the target market with training opportunities offered by the corporation or participating businesses, with the intent of having them achieve gainful employment in this state upon completion of their SkillBridge training.

(5) COLLABORATION.—

(a) The corporation may assist state agencies and entities with recruiting veteran talent into their workforces.

(b) The corporation is encouraged to, and may collaborate with state agencies and other entities in efforts to, maximize access to and provide information on one website that, if possible, includes hyperlinks to the websites of and contact information, if available, for state agencies and other entities that maintain benefits, services, training, education, and other resources that are available to veterans and their spouses.

(c) The corporation may collaborate with other state agencies and entities for outreach, information exchange, marketing, and referrals regarding programs and initiatives that include, but are not limited to, the program created by this section and those within any of the following:

1. The Department of Veterans’ Affairs:

a. Access to benefits and assistance programs.

b. Hope Navigators Program.

2. The Department of Commerce:

a. The Disabled Veteran Outreach Program and local veteran employment representatives.

b. CareerSource Florida, Inc., and local workforce boards employment and recruitment services.

c. The Quick-Response Training Program.

d. Efforts of the direct-support organization created under s. 288.987, the Florida Small Business Development Center Network, and the direct support organization established in s. 288.012(6).

3. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation, reciprocity and the availability of certain license and fee waivers.

4. The Department of Education:

a. CAPE industry certifications under s. 1008.44.

b. Information related to earning postsecondary credit at public postsecondary educational institutions for college-level training and education acquired in the military under s. 1004.096.

5. The Department of Health:

a. The Office of Veteran Licensure Services.

b. The Florida Veterans Application for Licensure Online Response expedited licensing.

6. The Office of Reimagining Education and Career Help.