Built Here Campaign
Built Here Campaign
Build What the Future Will Depend On
Southwest Florida is building a technology economy and keeping too little of the talent it trains. In a single year the region produced 7,996 completers of technology-aligned programs and retained 2,100 of them — a 26.3 percent retention rate. That is not a credential shortage. It is a conversion failure.
STEMCAT closes it by running one continuous pathway from third grade to employment: exposure, training, certification, registered apprenticeship, and a job. Six Industry 4.0 pathways carry that work — semiconductors and microelectronics, AI and data, advanced manufacturing and robotics, aviation and uncrewed systems, digital media and esports, and agriculture technology.
A student introduced to drones in fourth grade can hold an FAA Airframe and Powerplant certificate by twenty-two.
This is workforce infrastructure. And we report employment, not graduation — whether our people are working, in what occupation, at what wage, and whether they are still there twelve months later.
Learn here. Train here. Work here. Lead here.
Invest in what is BUILT HERE.
SKILL INVESTOR — $25,000+
Building Early Exposure and Workforce Access
The Skill Investor level expands access to workforce exposure and foundational career development experiences for students and underserved participants entering the STEMCAT pipeline. Investments at this level directly support hands-on learning materials, industry certification testing, transportation assistance, participant support services, digital curriculum licensing, workforce kits, and entry-level equipment upgrades that introduce participants to high-demand industries.
This level also helps fund instructional support and education coordination needed to manage workforce cohorts, student engagement, and early career exploration activities. A Skill Investor helps STEMCAT engage 15–20 participants through workforce exposure experiences tied to aviation, drones, healthcare, manufacturing, digital technology, and skilled
CATALYST INVESTOR — $50,000+
Expanding Capacity and Workforce Delivery
The Catalyst Investor level strengthens STEMCAT’s operational and instructional capacity to deliver workforce programming at scale. Investments at this level help fund workforce coordinators, instructors, expanded digital curriculum systems, cohort operations, industry-aligned training modules, participant tracking systems, and additional staffing required to support growing workforce demand.
Catalyst investments also support equipment modernization and instructional upgrades that ensure students train on systems aligned with current industry standards and employer expectations.
IMPACT INVESTOR —$100,000
Building Industry Labs and Employment Pathways
The Impact Investor level establishes or expands workforce labs and technical learning environments connected directly to employment pathways. Investments at this level fund advanced simulation systems, technical equipment, workforce lab infrastructure, industry-specific technology, and scalable training systems aligned with regional labor shortages and emerging workforce sectors.
Impact Investors help STEMCAT create immersive workforce environments where participants move beyond exposure into technical skill development tied directly to certifications and careers.
System Investor 150,000
System Investor help build what the future workforce will stand on.
Not another program.
Not another presentation.
A system of exposure, experiences, and workforce access that allows young people to see industries before life tells them they can’t belong in them.
This level helps build the rooms, the energy, the industry presence, and the moments where young people begin to recognize themselves.
Because talent is already here.
It just needs something real to connect to.
Legacy 250,000
Industry Igniters spark the first brick of exposure.
The first time a student touches robotics.
Steps into healthcare.
Sees advanced manufacturing.
Builds something with their hands.
Or realizes they may actually belong in the future they’ve been watching from a distance.
This investment helps turn curiosity into direction and exposure into momentum.
Not a science fair.
A workforce awakening.