JACKSONVILLE, Fla.–First Florida Credit Union has made a $250,000 donation to Florida State College at Jacksonville to launch a business speaker series and bolster its Financial Skills Academy.
“We are extremely fortunate to be partnering with First Florida to help connect the FSCJ community with local business leaders and stakeholders to expand educational and professional development opportunities,” said FSCJ President Cynthia Bioteau. “The support from First Florida allows more focus to be placed on educating and preparing our current and future generations to be successful.”
According to a statement from First Florida Credit Union, prominent business professionals from the community plan to speak on a wide range of topics, including taxes, healthcare, and investing, during the upcoming Business Speaker Series. All sessions will be open to FSCJ students, high school students, military personnel and other groups as a way for the college to increase community-wide education.
The monthly series, set to run from fall 2017 to spring 2022, will give interested individuals the opportunity to network with businesses, while allowing potential employers to connect with the growing, upcoming workforce.
“At First Florida, we are committed to enriching people every day — and that’s exactly what this grant aims to accomplish,” said Brent Lister, CEO of First Florida, in a statement. “We are thrilled to work with FSCJ to educate local students and community members alike as they become the business leaders of tomorrow.”
The college said it also wants to expand the course into bite-sized offerings on trendy or necessary topics — buying a car, getting a mortgage — that can be completed in an hour or so.