Broaden Your Child’s Career Horizons with a Florida Prepaid Plan
If you’re the parent of a child who’s not interested or best suited for a traditional four-year college experience, don’t panic. In Florida, your child has lots of options.
Career and Technical Education, or CTE, is gaining major traction across the state and providing young people with more opportunities than ever before.
“CTE is not shop class anymore,” said Kevin O’Farrell, chancellor for the Florida Department of Education’s Division of Career and Adult Education. “It’s manufacturing and engineering and cybersecurity and aviation. It’s all of these exciting career paths that lead to high-tech, high-skilled, high-paying careers.”
Since 2017, Florida has seen CTE grow by 60 percent. Today, more than 800,000 K-12 students and 480,000 post-secondary students are enrolled in the state’s 9,276 CTE programs, which are teaching real-world skills.
CTE has emerged as a fast, affordable pathway designed to set students up for success.
“Your student could train to become a truck driver or a line worker, earning between $50,000 and $60,000 a year,” O’Farrell said. “Or they could pursue a career in computer systems as an analyst or project manager and could make $95,000 to $100,000 a year. And really the best part about that is that all of these careers can be launched in as little as 12 to 18 months, and often with very little debt.”
For parents currently saving for their child’s post-secondary education with a Florida 529 Prepaid Plan or 529 Savings Plan, the great news is that funds can be applied to lots of scenarios, including trade or technical school. In fact, an increasing number of students have used their Florida Prepaid Plans toward career and technical programs.
- Bookkeeping, Accounting and Auditing Clerks
$46,170 - Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers
$49,030 - First-Line Supervisors of Office Administrative and Support Workers
$61,200 - First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers
$47,410 - Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing (except-tech and scientific products)
$61,340 - Real Estate Sales Agents
$54,950 - Carpenters
$47,530 - First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers
$64,440 - Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics
$45,790 - Insurance Sales Agents
$56,360
Source: FL Chamber’s report
And if you haven’t started saving yet? There’s no time like the present.
Prepaid Plans allow you to lock in future tuition coverage at today’s prices – and you can start for about the same cost as a box of diapers. It’s an affordable way to take tangible steps toward putting your child on a path to a lucrative career. View our online pricing calculator to determine which plan best fits your savings goals.
To help raise awareness about the value of Florida’s CTE programs, the state has purchased Xello, a new career readiness platform that is free and available to all K-12 students in public and charter schools. This interactive tool allows students and parents alike to explore career options through games, experimentation and advanced research.
“You really want to spark that curiosity at a young age,” O’Farrell said. “We are trying to facilitate that across the state so we can build a skilled workforce that shapes the future.”
Florida students can also find customized guidance at Get There, a workforce education initiative highlighting the benefits of rapid credentialing programs available at the 28 Florida College System institutions and the 48 technical colleges and centers across Florida. Using Get There, students can take a career quiz, search for specific programs, and learn about Florida’s most in-demand jobs and growing industries.
“At the end of the day, students are at the heart of everything we do,” O’Farrell said. “They are the real champions. They are the ones we want to empower.”
Have more questions? We’ve got answers! Explore our Frequently Asked Questions to learn more about our Prepaid Plans and Savings Plan. And click here to start your savings now!
