During the RECAP: State of Jobs event, we unveiled our 2016 State of Students Report with information collected from this year’s conference. We sampled 299 high school students about their perception of Sarasota and how it relates to colleges and careers on the Suncoast. 73.3% of students found that Sarasota is a positive place to live and work while only 6.7% of students absolutely desired to leave the region. Isabelle Crotsley, a student from Suncoast PolyTech High said, “I learned there are a lot of different job opportunities here in Sarasota and Manatee County I didn’t know before.” 

Additional data provided insight on students' desires to have more interactions with industry professionals including mentorship. An average of 66% of students interested in business and healthcare are also interested in having a mentor while still in high school. Venice High School student, Cooper Owen said, “I learned a lot about my future and get to get where you’re headed in life.” Ashley Heed, a student from Riverview High School, gathered guidance on transforming her personal passion into something more. “I learned how I could use my passion for music to create a career out of it.” 

We also examined the perception about colleges in the region. 33.6% of students are likely or very likely to consider attending college in Sarasota compared to 55.4% who plan to attend college in Florida. We found that 33% of students were still undecided as regards their college decisions. An overwhelming number of students listed finances as their largest concern about attending college. This data directly correlates to the 71.2% of students that listed attending a four-year university over community colleges or technical schools as their primary higher education goal.  

The State of Students Report is provided for community partners, educators, and businesses to work together on understanding student’s perception in the region. I believe the community, educators and business professionals alike, have a huge responsibility to prepare students for their futures. 

For more on the State of Jobs and the State of Students report, contact Chris Laney at cdlaney@gmail.com.

Download the full report.