ReliantSouth's President, Richard Dodd, was quoted in a recent Tallahassee Democrat article concerning "Rise to 55 by 2025", an initiative aimed at Floridians between the ages of 25 and 64 who want to work in Florida and stay competitive in the state's fast-paced global economy. The mission is to increase awareness of the need for workers to continue their education past high school. The new statewide target for earning postsecondary certificates or degrees is 55 percent by the year 2025.
Richard Dodd was quoted as stating, "There’s a huge challenge in the construction business. In the construction business, about 10 percent are degreed professionals and the other 90 percent are skilled craftsmen. We as a society have done a poor job by saying that everyone has to go to college, but who is going to build your house, or fix your air conditioner or car? We need to not just focus on higher education, but to look at two-year programs as well. Graduates of technical programs can start a job making $60,000 a year. What a great investment that is. I hope that we don’t lose sight of that while focusing on bachelor’s degrees. People need good jobs. Jobs can solve a lot of society’s problems by putting money in people’s pockets.”