We start at eight, not eighteen.
STEMCAT builds Southwest Florida's tech workforce — hands-on STEM from third grade, career training for adults, and employer partners at the finish line.
*Share of workforce program participants placed in a job or apprenticeship, based on STEMCAT program records. Methodology available on request.
By the time most programs meet a young person, the decision has already been made.
Long before eighteen, kids quietly conclude they can only become what they see. Not engineering. Not aviation. Not medicine. Not for lack of talent — for lack of exposure.
STEMCAT reaches them at eight, before that door closes, and stays until there's a job.
Southwest Florida doesn't have a talent shortage. It has a conversion gap — and that's the gap STEMCAT closes.
Source: SWFL Tech Pulse Report, FGCU Regional Economic Research Institute, January 2026.
Find your door.
Whether you're a parent, a student, or an adult ready for a new career, there's a place to start.
Future Legends
Camps, after-school programs, robotics, fabrication, tech and fellowships that show students what's possible — early.
Workforce Skills
Seven Industry 4.0 pathways that lead to a recognized credential and a real job in this region. Scholarships available.
In Their Words
Hear it from the people building it.
Employers, partners, parents and students on what STEMCAT means for Southwest Florida.
Not traditional vocational education.
One system, third grade to paycheck
We don't hand students off. The same organization that meets them at eight is there when they land their first job.
Employers from day one
Industry partners shape the training and open the doors — so there's more than one way through.
We measure ourselves
We count employment, not graduation. When a student goes quiet, we fix the barrier — the fee, the ride, the form — instead of blaming the student.
The difference is who we measure.
Your next hire doesn't have to wait for graduation.
Most training programs ask employers to wait two or four years for talent. STEMCAT puts apprentices on your floor from day one — working beside your people, earning a paycheck, and building skills as they go.
On the job from day one
Apprentices start contributing right away, trained alongside your own journeyworkers.
Stackable skills
Every credential builds on the last — from a state-approved pre-apprenticeship to industry certification — so their skills grow as your needs grow.
Built around today's jobs
Additive manufacturing (3D printing), CNC machining, and more Industry 4.0 pathways, shaped by the employers who hire our apprentices.
Built on a proven model. Rebuilt for Industry 4.0.
STEMCAT was mentored early on by Bill Strickland, MacArthur Award-winning founder of Manchester Bidwell Corporation. His model proved that dignity and high expectations change what a person believes is possible. We carry it into semiconductors, aviation, advanced manufacturing, AI and healthcare. Built here first. Built everywhere next.
Our mission: To launch the next workforce generation into a future of choice.
Invest in the pipeline.
Every gift keeps a student moving from exposure to employment.
Choice Builders
Join the monthly giving community that keeps the pipeline running all year.
Give Today
Fund a student's seat, gear, and the barriers nobody else sees.
Volunteer With Us
Mentor a student, coach a team, or share your trade — the gift of showing up.