Gulf Power was awarded the Business-Education Partnership Award from STEMflorida, a collaborative partnership funded by Workforce Florida to address STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) talent development.

Gulf Power won the award based on its partnership with West Florida High School of Advanced Technology. The utility has a long history of partnerships in education, but it was in 2001, when the Gulf Power Academy was launched at West Florida High, that the company began its true business engagement in the education process.

Susan Story, President and CEO of Gulf Power, said the program serves as the utility’s flagship workforce development program.

“The Gulf Power Academy has become a model for other companies in Florida and the U.S. for how to develop a talent pipeline,” said Story. “And since the program’s inception, we’ve hired 37 graduates full time, and countless others have gone on to pursue post-secondary degrees critical to our industry.”

Students that graduate from the Gulf Power Academy graduate with an in-depth knowledge of the industry as well as technical skills they can build on throughout their careers.

STEMflorida also recognized 21 other businesses, organizations and education initiatives from across Florida for excellence in STEM –science, technology, engineering and math—education and training delivery programs at its 2010 STEM Business & Education Conference held recently in Orlando. The awards highlighted Florida’s outstanding ―best of the best STEM programs that produce outcomes that meet workforce needs and that can be replicated around the state.

The STEMflorida Awards are based on the needed outcomes identified by Florida’s business community during those Roundtables. The four award categories presented were:

·         Business-Education Partnership

·         Improved Student Outcomes

·         Barrier Buster

·         Excellence in Instructional Staff Development

Gulf Power Company is an investor-owned electric utility that serves more than 428,000 customers in 10 counties throughout Northwest Florida. The company’s mission is to safely deliver affordable, reliable and environmentally responsible energy to very satisfied customers in strong communities.