PENSACOLA, Florida – On Monday, Governor Rick Scott announced $1 million proposed funding for teachers in Florida to partner with high-tech companies like Gulf Power for STEM training.

The statewide program will pay teachers to spend their summers interning at technology companies. More teachers of science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM subjects, will gain real-world experience and help make Florida competitive for years to come.

“STEM education is fundamental to success for students and our regional economy.  It is critical that classroom teachers can share with students how science, technology, engineering and math are applied in our in-demand industries and inspire them to pursue careers in these fields,” said Jennifer Grove, Community Development manager at Gulf Power. “The industry insight that STEM teachers will gain through these internships is critical to helping students prepare for careers in these growing STEM-based fields.”

Governor Scott is known for his focus on growing high-skill/high-wage jobs in Florida. In January 2014, he announced a $30 million commitment for training in his “It’s your money tax cut budget.” His overall plan for building Florida’s future ensures students have access to the tools needed to land those jobs and advance their careers.

“We want Florida to be first for jobs, and we must have a skilled workforce to reach that goal,” said Governor Scott. “By investing in science, technology, engineering and math education, we are ensuring our students are prepared for the jobs in the future. Our teachers are essential to preparing our students and that is why I am proud to propose $1 million to invest in the continued education of our teachers so they can bring innovative ideas back to the classroom.”

The paid summer residency program for STEM allows teachers to bring new industry trends back to Florida’s K-12 classrooms.

In addition to Gulf Power, 43 other companies have confirmed their participation in the STEM Residency Program, including:  Amskills, Arthrex, Apex Technology, Azimuth Technology, Bay State Cable Ties, B&I, Carlisle Interconnect Technologies, Creative Sign Designs, Costal Cloud, D3 Glass, Duke Energy, Eastern Architectural Systems, Embraer, Entertainment Metals, Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, Florida Power & Light Company, Fort Walton Machining, Inc., Global Tech LED, GSC Systems, Harris Corporation, Haynes Corporation, Heat Pipe Technology, Hoerbiger Corporation of America, Inc., ICTC, ITG Technologies, Kaman Aerostructures, Lockheed Martin, Marine Concepts/JRL Ventures, Metal Essence, MiTek USA, Monin,

Northrop Grumman, PharmaWorks, SAFT America, Shaw Development, Southern Manufacturing Technologies, Storm Smart, Structure Medical LLC, Survice Engineering Company, Timbar Packaging & Display, Vac-Con Inc., and Vistakon.

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Gulf Power is an investor-owned electric utility with all of its common stock owned by Atlanta-based Southern Company. Gulf Power serves more than 447,000 customers in eight counties throughout Northwest Florida. The company’s mission is to safely provide exceptional customer value by delivering reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible electricity while strengthening our communities. Visit online at MyGulfPower.com or on the company’s Facebook page. News information can be found at GulfPowerNews.com.