Our region is growing, and the skills needed to succeed here are changing just as quickly.

In December 2025, Manatee County was among Florida's fastest-growing large counties for employment, with jobs increasing 1.9% from the previous year, while Sarasota County also posted employment growth.. Growth brings opportunity, but it also creates an important responsibility: ensuring that the people who live here have access to education that keeps pace with the economy.

At SCF, we’re continually looking ahead at what employers need and creating accessible pathways for students to develop those skills. Patricia Rand, PhD, vice president for Academic and Faculty Affairs and chief academic officer, helps lead that work by advancing faculty and curriculum development.

This fall, SCF is expanding those opportunities with a new associate in science degree in Cybersecurity Operations and three new certificates in Cybersecurity Operations Analyst, Artificial Intelligence Awareness and Graphic Design Production.

Cybersecurity is one of the clearest examples of how quickly workforce needs are evolving. Nearly every business, government agency, healthcare provider and nonprofit depends on connected technology and has information that must be protected. Nationally, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment for information security analysts to grow 29% from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations.

The opportunity is also visible close to home. Computer and mathematical occupations in the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota metropolitan area paid an average of $51.70 per hour in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is among the higher-paying occupational groups in our region.

SCF's new Cybersecurity Operations A.S. degree is designed to help students build practical skills in areas including network defense, threat detection, digital forensics and incident response. The program also prepares students for industry certifications that can strengthen their credentials as they enter or advance in the technology workforce. Jason D. Reed, associate professor and Technology chair at SCF, will lead the Cybersecurity Operations degree as well as the Cybersecurity Operations Analyst Certificate.

Artificial intelligence is creating a different kind of workforce shift. AI is increasingly being incorporated into businesses and professions far beyond the technology sector. The World Economic Forum identifies AI and big data as the fastest-growing skill area through 2030, followed closely by networks and cybersecurity. Understanding how these technologies work and how to use them responsibly will increasingly be valuable across occupations.

SCF's new Artificial Intelligence (AI) Awareness Certificate gives students an opportunity to develop that knowledge as AI becomes part of the everyday workplace. Susan Melichar, assistant professor of Computer Science at SCF, will lead the new certificate.

Yet technology skills alone will not define the workforce of the future. The ability to communicate, think creatively and translate ideas into compelling visual messages remains valuable in nearly every industry.

SCF's new Graphic Design Production Certificate was created with that versatility in mind. Students develop skills in visual communication, typography and design while gaining hands-on experience with industry-standard tools including Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign. Those skills can be applied in business, marketing, education, media, nonprofit work, social media and entrepreneurship.

Charles Jeff Darwin, Graphic Design program manager at SCF, will lead the Graphic Design Production Certificate. For students exploring their options, the certificate can provide a resume-ready credential while completing an associate degree, and its courses can apply toward SCF's Graphic Design degree for students who choose to continue in the field. 

That flexibility is important because today's students are not all following the same path. Some are preparing for their first careers. Others are working adults looking to gain a new skill, earn a credential or move into a growing field.

For our region to remain economically competitive, we need more than new jobs. We need local people prepared to fill them.

That is why these new programs matter. Cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and graphic design may seem like very different disciplines, but they reflect the same commitment: giving our community access to relevant education that responds to a changing economy.

When our residents can develop tomorrow's skills close to home, our students benefit, our employers benefit and our entire region is better positioned for what comes next.