🧑🏽‍💼From Classroom to Career: Building Miami’s Workforce for 2040

A look at building Miami’s workforce through education and partnerships

FEATURED CONTENT:
Join Us for a Conversation on “Education as Economic Power” with our Academic Leaders Council and The Helios Education Foundation. Register here for the April 23rd event at Miami Dade College.

Picture the Miami we want in 2040, when today’s children will be entering the workforce. Opportunity Miami is committed to making that vision a reality by driving the development of our local talent.

In collaboration with the Miami-Dade Beacon Council and numerous community partners, we’re identifying key economic trends leading up to 2040. By understanding how these trends will impact workforce needs, we can create strategies to boost economic inclusion and promote social mobility through talent development.

Education as Economic Power

Education is Greater Miami’s greatest untapped engine for prosperity. It shapes careers, strengthens communities, and drives long-term economic growth. The question is: How bold are we willing to be to unleash it?

We’re finding the answers—through research, collaboration, and action. Join us on April 23rd at Miami Dade College for Education as Economic Power. The Helios Education Foundation will unveil groundbreaking research, and our Academic Leaders will share bold updates on the 2040 Talent Goals.

*Seats are limited. Please register here.

Investing in Education

Last week, we highlighted our conversation with Stacy Baier, Senior Vice President, Florida Community Engagement, Operations and Strategic Partnerships with Helios, on the importance of educational investment and its regional impact. Their research revealed that increasing college completion rates by 10% could generate nearly $8 billion annually in tax revenue for Florida. For Miami-Dade alone, that’s $2.4 billion in additional revenue and societal benefits—funds that can strengthen our community.

You can watch or listen to the full conversation here.

Innovation in Education

Continuing our mission to unite the private and public sectors in advancing education, Opportunity Miami and the Beacon Council recently partnered with Teach For America for a discussion on critical thinking, resilience, and communication—essential skills for Miami-Dade’s talent pipeline.

“So much of what we do here in Miami, across all the institutions of higher education, it's about creating opportunity, and the first step for us in doing that is about accessibility,” said Barry University President Mike Allen, a member of our Opportunity Miami’s Academic Leaders Council. The Council meets quarterly to address challenges in Miami-Dade’s education landscape and collaborate on impactful solutions.

Dr. Allen also emphasized the importance of affordability and the role of technology in ensuring education remains relevant through industry partnerships.

“We need [private] industry to tell us what they need. What are the skills they need to see in our graduates so they don't have to retrain them all over again? Integrating these partnerships from curriculum development to facilities is really critical,” Allen noted.

The conversation also touched on the growing role of AI and experiential learning, with panelists agreeing that technology will complement rather than replace traditional teaching.

“Learning is a human experience, and no robot is going to ever be able to capture that,” said Elisa Villanueva Beard, CEO of Teach For America.

Additionally, the importance of soft skills in the workforce was highlighted.

“The reality is all of our jobs are human reactions,” explained Dawn M. Baglos, Chief Human Capital Officer with Miami-Dade County Public Schools. “If you don't have those soft skills, those relationships are really going to struggle, and you won't have people who want to partner with you to move our community forward.”

​​The Future of Miami Starts with Talent

Greater Miami is growing—and so is the demand for skilled talent. In just one year, Beacon helped bring over 10,000 high-paying jobs to South Florida. Now, we must ensure our local workforce is ready to fill them.

That’s the vision behind TalentBridge—a proposed initiative from the Miami-Dade Beacon Council Foundation to connect education and industry like never before. Through partnerships with our Academic Leaders Council, and employers across the region, we’re building a system that turns potential into opportunity.

Thanks to our Senate and House sponsors—Senator Ana Maria Rodriguez and Representative Demi Busatta—for championing this vision and to County Commissioner Kevin Cabrera for advancing the resolution of support. We’re also grateful to our supporters locally and state sponsors, private industry, and nonprofit partners.

As Basil Khalil, Vice President of Operations at FedEx, put it at the Teach for America event: “Companies need a bridge to talent, and that's what The Beacon Council is looking at. TalentBridge is going to be able to connect companies because that's the issue we have brainstormed. We have amazing teachers, professors, and programs, and we have the talent.”

Juan Carlos Liscano, Vice President of American Airlines and Chair of the Beacon Council, underscores the urgency: “This program ensures we will have the talent to fill these jobs and builds confidence for more companies to come and expand.”

TalentBridge will deliver real-time workforce data, align training with industry needs, and open career pathways for all—especially those who’ve historically been left out.

As Rodrick Miller, President & CEO of the Beacon Council, reminds us: “We are shaping Miami into a global economic powerhouse by investing in our most valuable asset—our people.”

The opportunity is clear. The path is taking shape. Now, we need partners—employers, educators, investors, and champions—to help bring TalentBridge to life.

Join us in building a stronger, more connected economy.

Contact Dr. Paula Hopkins, EVP, Strategic Partnerships & Fund Development
phopkins@beaconcouncil.com | (786) 390-1327

PITCH US

If you have a company or entrepreneur to suggest or an idea to share that relates to building Miami’s future, email us at next@opportunity.miami. We invite you to subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on our social media channels. If you were forwarded this newsletter, you can subscribe by clicking here. And if you are new to Opportunity Miami, you can learn about our mission and work here.

~ Opportunity Miami