Florida Ready to Work Credential Program.

(1) There is created the Florida Ready to Work Credential Program to enhance the employability skills of Floridians and to better prepare them for successful employment.

(2) Training required to be eligible for a credential under the program may be conducted in public middle and high schools, Florida College System institutions, technical centers, one-stop career centers, vocational rehabilitation centers, Department of Corrections facilities, and Department of Juvenile Justice educational facilities. Such training may also be made available at other entities that provide job training. The Department of Commerce, in coordination with the Department of Education, shall establish institutional readiness criteria for program implementation.

(3) The program shall be composed of:

(a) A comprehensive identification by the Department of Commerce and the Department of Education of employability skills currently in demand by employers, including, but not limited to, professionalism, time management, communication, problem solving, collaboration, resilience, digital literacy skills, and academic skills such as mathematics and reading.

(b) A preinstructional assessment that delineates an individual’s mastery level for the employability on the specific workplace skills identified pursuant to paragraph (a).

(c) An instructional program targeting the identified employability skills in which the individual is not proficient as measured by the preinstructional assessment. Instruction must utilize a web-based program and be customizable to meet identified specific needs of employers.

(d) An employability portfolio to be awarded to individuals upon successful completion of the instruction. Each portfolio must delineate the skills demonstrated by the individual as evidence of the individual’s preparation for employment.

(4) An employability credential shall be awarded to an individual who successfully passes assessments which measure the skills identified in paragraph (3)(a).

(5) The Department of Commerce, in consultation with the Department of Education, shall adopt rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement the provisions of this section.