Sarasota Chamber Gifts $42,500 Grant To Upskill Workers At Manatee Memorial Hospital

SARASOTA, FL — The CareerEdge Funders Collaborative, the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce’s workforce initiative, awarded $42,500 to upskill workers at Manatee Memorial Hospital.

At a time when retaining and growing talent has been extremely challenging, Manatee Memorial Hospital’s leaders have decided to invest in its workforce, the chamber said in a news release. These grant funds will assist the hospital with this initiative.

CEOs across the country are now viewing the U.S. worker shortage as the biggest external disrupter to their business, coming out ahead of the pandemic, including future COVID-19 variants, the chamber said in a news release.

One strategic way to retain employees and increase job satisfaction is to focus on employee skill development, the chamber added.

Manatee Memorial is doing just that by developing a training plan to upskill 25 employees, ranging from entry- to mid-level employees. They will use the grant funding from CareerEdge to help offset the $207,000 investment in these workers.

This is not a new strategy for Manatee Memorial. The hospital system has been developing its workforce for decades, and its partnership with CareerEdge dates back to 2010, the chamber said.

“(CareerEdge) funding has contributed to the training and advancement of countless Manatee Memorial employees,” Tom McDougal, CEO at Manatee Memorial Hospital, said. “The longstanding partnership between CareerEdge and our hospital has increased the earning potential for our employees in a variety of areas: nursing and direct patient care, laboratory services, respiratory therapy, billing and coding, hospital administration and leadership, case management, surgical services, outpatient services, diagnostic imaging, and more.”

The grants have impacted nearly 200 employees within the hospital system, McDougal said.

Grant funding for upskilling workers is a signature initiative of CareerEdge. Once a year, CareerEdge accepts grant applications from manufacturing, healthcare, insurance and skilled trades sector employers who can make a compelling case that CareerEdge’s “Employer Partnership Model” will help them accelerate promotions for incumbent workers while creating jobs and improving their bottom line. This model helps employers close skills gaps and speed the advancement of incumbent and new workers, the chamber said.

CareerEdge Funder’s Collaborative is a partnership of business, government and philanthropic organizations that uses public and private dollars to provide opportunities for better jobs and wages in Manatee and Sarasota counties.