💸 Why Talent is Today’s Economic Currency

How Miami can become a hub for talent as academic leaders set a new community-wide talent goal.

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Hear how Madeline Pumariega went from student to president of Miami Dade College, and how Miami is poised to become a hub for talent. You can watch her interview with Beacon Council CEO Rodrick Miller here.

Last opportunity to register for our next Climate Tech Meetup with Miami-Dade County on June 10th! Register here.

If you are trying to attract business to Miami-Dade County, talent will be at the top of the list for them. 

“Talent is the economic currency of the day,” said Miami Dade College President Madeline Pumariega in a recent interview with Beacon Council CEO Rodrick Miller. 

Education is key to creating opportunities for the community. It also drives economic growth in Miami-Dade County. 

Watch our interview with Pumariega and Miller on the need for higher education institutions to provide opportunities for upskilling and reskilling, as well as how personalized learning and stackable credentials can lead to a knowledge and skills economy. 

THE ACADEMIC LEADERS COUNCIL 

Pumariega is the chair of the Academic Leaders Council, which includes the presidents of Florida International University, the University of Miami, Florida Memorial University, St. Thomas University, and Barry University, along with the Superintendent of Public Schools. 

The ALC is a key part of Opportunity Miami’s future-focused mission of imagining the Miami of 2040 and helping our community build it. It is unique in that it includes the third-largest public district and the largest college in the country to serve as one point of contact for business leaders coming to Miami-Dade County and want to learn about our community’s talent strategy. 

This collective impact, Pumariega said, is talent measured by educational attainment. Together, the ALC set a goal that by 2040, 65% of the community would have a credential of value (a certificate, an associate or bachelor's degree, and beyond). You can read the ALC’s talent development goals report here. 

“We set that goal so we can have a North Star,” Pumariega said. “When companies ask us how we think about talent in Miami-Dade County, we can say we have a goal and each of our institutions has a strategy to contribute to that goal.”

THE VALUE OF EDUCATION

Education is valued in this community “so much because so many of us came from somewhere else,” she said. 

Pumariega’s parents left Cuba with just the shirts on their backs, but the one thing they always kept was their education. “And I grew up like so many of us in a household that said the one thing that no one can take away from you is your education and your knowledge.”

Florida was recently ranked #1 in the nation in higher education and K-12 metrics. “That’s not a qualitative report, that’s a quantitative report because it requires policy, investment, and human and social capital,” Pumariega noted.

At Miami Dade College alone, 60% of the 125,000 students are the first in their families to go to college.   

“I think that education has a premium in this community because it is a path to economic and social capital for so many and it’s been the path for many in our community. I think that’s the value of education.” 

JOIN US ON JUNE 10TH

Our next climate tech meetup in partnership with Miami-Dade County will introduce us to four companies in climate innovation from Chile. Register here.

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. 

Hope to hear from you. 

– Suzette