OUR WORK
Since 2013, upliftED has led the effort to address barriers to college and career access, persistence, and attainment in Central Florida. Our work has gone through an evolution over the years. However, our mission to have at least 60% of working adults have a high-quality credential or college degree remains the same. We know attainment means increased wages for individuals, and overall fiscal and social benefits for the region. This goal and these data drive our work - our desire to help ALICE become financially stable with a livable, sustainable wage.
Our work has two arms: upliftED - the Local College Access Network and Education United: Student Success HUB. Learn more below.
upliftED: Central Florida’s Local College Access Network
We are a multi-sector collaborative serving Orange, Osceola & Seminole Counties. We create resources needed to help bridge the gap in college and career access, persistence and success. We work together toward systems-level change to ensure everyone no matter their background, zip code or circumstances can achieve both their educational and professional goals. We advocate for policies that support education for all. Our work is accomplished not only as a network, but also through our Impact Teams. Together, we upliftED.
Education United: Student Success HUB - upliftED’s Direct Service Arm
The HUB allows upliftED to implement best practices with its partners at schools and in communities to directly impact students and their parents. We are able to test these practices within our communities, learn, replicate and scale.
The HUB focused on three elements: Affordability, Post-Secondary Options and Industry-exposure Activities.
Affordability: FAFSA Education (students & parents/guardians), FSA ID Creation, FAFSA Completion, Financial Aids Options with requirements, Financial Literacy, Banking students and their families through Heart of Florida United Way’s BankOn Coalition.
Post-Secondary Options: College Readiness Activities including creation of Post-Secondary Plans, SAT/ACT Prep, Essay Writing and College Applications; College Tours & Fairs and CTE Tours and Fairs.
Industry-exposure Activities: FUSD (STEAM Days), Career Days, and Facility Tours and Fairs (Hospitals, Hotels, Attorney Offices, Dental & Medical offices, Film Studios, Marketing Firms, Manufacturing, Warehouses, Other)
As we implement programming, we will document our direct Impact. Stay tuned.
Areas of Impact
Our work cannot be done without collaboration with our Partners. We do this in multiple ways, including Impact Teams. We like to say, “Impact Teams are where the work gets planned and done.” We welcome new Impact Team members regularly. Learn more about our Areas of Impact below and let us know if you want to join one or more of the Impact Teams by filling out this form. Note that some of the Impact Teams are different per county.
Adult Education: Support post-secondary attainment targeting adult learners and expand completion efforts to adult learners | Create a culture within the business community and higher education of encouraging employees and non-traditional learners to persist and attain a high-quality credential or degree
Career Connections: Increase the recognition and value of industry certifications to improve and prepare Central Florida’s workforce | Help local industry meet targeted needs
College-going Rate & FAFSA: Support high schools in creating and strengthening college-going cultures | Increase the number of students (high school seniors and adults) who complete the FAFSA, making pursuing education after high school more affordable.
Persistence & Completion: Share ways to support students’ persistence and completion efforts through emergency funding initiatives, such as Destination Graduation, and other wrap around supports.