OPWD INSIDER

University of Florida’s Office of Professional Workforce Development Now Accepting GI Bill® Benefits for Select Courses

The University of Florida’s Office of Professional Workforce Development (UF OPWD) is proud to announce that eligible individuals can now utilize their GI Bill® Benefits for select professional development programs. This initiative marks an exciting opportunity for veterans and their families to gain valuable skills and training through UF OPWD’s diverse range of courses.

Celebrating Lauren Keiser: A Sustainable Event Champion

We’re thrilled to celebrate one of our own, Lauren Keiser, who has been named Green Gator of the Month by […]

University of Florida’s Office of Professional and Workforce Development Partners with Ed2Go to Expand Online Course Offerings

The University of Florida’s Office of Professional and Workforce Development is excited to announce a new collaboration with Ed2Go, a leading provider of online learning solutions. This partnership aims to enhance and expand our current course offerings by providing a diverse array of online courses designed to meet the evolving needs of professionals and tradespeople.

Unlocking the Role: Community Health Worker

A Community Health Worker (CHW) is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of the community they serve. This trust enables CHWs to be a vital link between health services and the community, fostering greater understanding and access to healthcare. Their role is diverse and multifaceted, encompassing a range of activities aimed at improving health outcomes, particularly in underserved areas.

Mastering Food Safety: A Guide to ServSafe Certification

Developed by the National Restaurant Association with the help of foodservice industry experts, the ServSafe program is a food safety certification designed to educate food service workers about proper food handling and safety procedures to prevent foodborne illness.

Unlocking the Role: Certified Dietary Manager, Certified Food Protection Professional

Looking to venture into the dynamic world of food management and safety? Dive into the realm of Certified Dietary Managers (CDMs) and Certified Food Protection Professionals (CFPPs) […]

Lauren McCain Receives UF Superior Accomplishment Award

Lauren McCain, University of Florida Office of Professional and Workforce Development’s (OPWD) Assistant Director, is a recipient of the University of Florida Superior Accomplishment Award.

Inspiring Women Leaders: How to be Assertive Without Being Abrasive

The Office of Professional and Workforce Development (OPWD) hosted the kick-off Inspiring Women Leaders (IWL) workshop […]

Inspiring Women Leaders: Workshop Series Kick-off

The Office of Professional and Workforce Development (OPWD) hosted the kick-off Inspiring Women Leaders (IWL) workshop […]

TREEO Represented at Orlando Safety Conferences in September

UF TREEO exhibited at two safety conferences in September, VPPPA Safety+ and ACFS Safety Day, both in Orlando, FL. They […]

Kevin Jackson Wins MPI Rising Star Award

Kevin joined the MPI North Florida Chapter in September 2021 shortly after joining the OPWD team. Kevin has been involved […]

Welcome to the Team: Eva Varnes

Please join the Office of Professional and Workforce Development (OPWD) in welcoming our newest team addition: Eva Varnes! Eva is […]

The University of Florida’s Office of Professional and Workforce Development Becomes a Registered Apprenticeship Provider with the State of Florida’s Apprenticeship System

The University of Florida’s Office of Professional and Workforce Development (UF OPWD) is proud to announce the Community Health Worker […]

Spring 2023 Quarterly Newsletter

The start of the new year is always difficult to tackle. Offices are slow to start, communication is slow to […]

Laurie Brown’s Career Celebration

After 25 years of working with the University of Florida, Laurel (Laurie) Brown is officially retiring on March 31, 2023. […]

UF TREEO Partners with The Water Tower to Expand Training to Georgia

The University of Florida’s Training Research and Education for Environmental Occupations Center (UF TREEO) is pleased to announce a partnership […]

Katie Risher Receives UF Superior Accomplishment Award

Katie Risher, Assistant Director of the Conference Department, is a recipient of the University of Florida’s Superior Accomplishment Award. This […]

Welcome to the Team: Alex Cromwell

Please join the Office of Professional and Workforce Development (OPWD) in welcoming our newest team addition: Alex Cromwell! Alex comes […]

Winter 2022 Quarterly Newsletter

The last months of the year always seem to fly by. Our final quarterly meeting of 2022 was not only […]

UF TREEO Awarded $75,000 Federal Grant to Develop English and Spanish Training Materials for Workers and Employers Who Enter Confined Spaces

The University of Florida’s Training, Research and Environmental Occupations Center (UF TREEO) has been awarded a $75,000 Training & Education […]

Fall 2022 Quarterly Newsletter

The summer months were jam-packed with ambitious projects to propel our office forward and, of course, employee vacations! We barely […]

UF Career Academy Introduces an Access-Based Career Pathway Model to Prepare Learners for High-Demand, Entry-Level Jobs

The University of Florida’s Office of Professional and Workforce Development (UF OPWD) in partnership with Coursera is pleased to announce […]

Katie Risher Installed as MPI North Florida President

On June 30, 2022, Katie Risher, the Office of Professional and Workforce Development’s Assistant Director for Conference Planning, was installed […]

TREEO Holds its First OSHA Class

On May 23, 2022, nine new students arrived at TREEO to attend the first OSHA #511, Occupational Safety and Health […]

Increase Your Creativity by Promoting and Celebrating Wellness

The very first initiative in the OPWD strategic plan is, Be an Employer of Choice to Live, Work, and Learn. […]

The University of Florida’s Office of Professional and Workforce Development Commemorates the First Class to Complete the Culinary Arts Certification Program

The University of Florida’s Office of Professional and Workforce Development (UF OPWD) is proud to announce the first class to […]

IWL 2022 Recap

One day while Gandhi, the great Indian statesman and spiritual leader, was boarding a train with a number of his […]

Spring 2022 Quarterly Newsletter

Three months into 2022 and the Office of Professional and Workforce Development (OPWD) is busy flourishing forward. The Spring quarter […]

The 32nd Annual Cross Connection Control Conference Wrap-Up

The 32nd annual Cross Connection Control Conference was held at the Hotel Indigo in Gainesville on March 1-3, 2022.  Designed […]

Random Acts of Kindness Infiltrate OPWD

It’s Mid-February and the office is back in full-swing: Fully recovered from the holidays, picking up speed and adjusting to […]

UF Office of Professional and Workforce Development Celebrates Safety Yard Groundbreaking at the UF TREEO Center

On Tuesday, January 18, 2022, the University of Florida’s Office of Professional and Workforce Development (UF OPWD) celebrated the Groundbreaking […]

UF Office of Professional and Workforce Development established as host site for the OSHA Training Institute Education Center at Volunteer State Community College

The University of Florida’s Office of Professional and Workforce Development (OPWD) is proud to be selected as a Host Training […]

First Culinary Course to Launch January 2022

The University of Florida Office of Professional and Workforce Development is excited to launch its first Culinary Arts course in […]

Winter 2021 Quarterly Newsletter

As we wrap up classes, events and projects for the year, let’s take a moment to look back at the […]

UF TREEO Center Celebrates its Instructors!

*This article was written collectively by the UF TREEO Team The University of Florida’s Center for Training, Research and Education […]

Halloween 2021!

Each Halloween seems to top the last. The Office of Professional and Workforce Development (OPWD) gets very spirited around the […]

Welcome to the Team: Lauren Keiser

Please join the Office of Professional and Workforce Development (OPWD) in welcoming our newest team addition: Lauren Keiser! Lauren comes […]

Fall 2021 Quarterly Newsletter

During the last quarter, the Office of Professional and Workforce Development (OPWD) welcomed three new employees, two gators, one University […]

Welcome to the Team: Kevin Jackson

Please join the Office of Professional and Workforce Development (OPWD) in welcoming our newest team addition: Kevin Jackson! Kevin is […]

New TREEO Online Courses Launched

If anything has proven the value and necessity of accessible learning, it’s the past year. The University of Florida Training, […]

OPWD’s Mission Embraces Everyone

“To Design and Deliver Innovative Learning Opportunities for Everyone.” This is the newly updated mission statement for the Office of […]

OPWD’s 5th Annual Inspiring Women Leaders Conference

The University of Florida Office of Professional and Workforce Development in partnership with Warrington College of Business will be hosting […]

Welcome to the Team: Lu Yin

Please join the Office of Professional and Workforce Development (OPWD) in welcoming our newest team addition: Lu Yin! Lu came […]

2021 Wellness Update

It’s been a while since we’ve had an official wellness update on the OPWD Insider, and our office has been […]

Transitioning to Pre-COVID Operations

The University of Florida transitioned to pre-COVID normal operations for the start of the 2021-2022 academic year on June 28, […]

Welcome to the Team: Kylie Swope

Please join the Office of Professional and Workforce Development (OPWD) in welcoming our newest team addition: Kylie Swope! Kylie comes […]

Carol Hinton’s Career Celebration

The Office of Professional and Workforce Development (OPWD) celebrated Carol Hinton’s career at the UF TREEO Center Thursday, May 27th. […]

Virtual Events are Here to Stay

A flexible way to engage, virtual events offer a unique platform that brings people together from different areas of academia […]

UF OPWD Launches Culinary Arts Program

The University of Florida Office of Professional and Workforce Development (OPWD) is pleased to announce the launch of its new […]

2021 Cross-Connection Control Conference

Now in its 31st year, the Annual Cross-Connection Control Conference is designed to help solve problems encountered in cross-connection control […]

Are you an Employer of Choice?

Being an employer of choice means you have a workplace that improves employee engagement, commitment and retention, and increases job […]

Spring 2021 Quarterly Newsletter

A year after our employees were officially sent to work from home while the world tried to make sense of […]

Courtney Hancock Receives UF Superior Accomplishment Award

Courtney Hancock, University of Florida Office of Professional and Workforce Development’s (OPWD) Web Developer, is a recipient of the University […]

OPWD’s Annual Inspiring Women Leaders Conference

March 8-9, 2021 marks the 4th Annual Inspiring Women Leaders (IWL) Conference. This two-day virtual event includes keynote speakers, breakout […]

Ron Trygar Awarded With Master Instructor Designation

Our very own Ron Trygar, UF TREEO Water/Wastewater Instructor, was awarded a National Environmental Safety and Health Training Association (NESHTA) […]

Gator Nation Giving Day

Stand Up & Holler: Gator Nation Giving Day is an all-day fundraising event that calls on the University of Florida […]

Thank You Heyward Florida Inc.!

The UF TREEO Center received a very thoughtful donation from Heyward Florida Inc. this week. The lab equipment (shown above) […]

Goodbye 2020!

As the last OPWD Insider post of 2020, we thought it fitting to recap all the initiative and progress we […]

Veterans Day 2020

The Office of Professional and Workforce Development (OPWD) recently had three flagpoles installed as part of our TREEO Facility Update. […]

Halloween 2020!

To celebrate Halloween this year, our wellness committee put together a decorating competition and Trunk or Treat open to OPWD […]

Charlie Martin

TREEO Instructors Highlight: Charlie Martin & Ron Trygar

The University of Florida Training, Research and Education for Environmental Occupations (UF TREEO) Center values all of its instructors and […]

Introducing: The Tater Trots!

The GatorCare Fall Walking Challenge has arrived and the Office of Professional and Workforce Development (OPWD) has taken on the […]

FRWA Special Recognition Award

Carol Hinton Receives FRWA Special Recognition Award

Carol Hinton, University of Florida Training, Research and Education for Environmental Occupations (UF TREEO) Associate Director, received the Florida Rural […]

Facility Updates: Part 2

As promised, we are back to share the new and improved facility updates for the TREEO Center. Since the first […]

IWL 2020

Inspiring Women Leaders 2021: Growing Together

Behind-the-scenes work for the 2021 Inspiring Women Leaders (IWL) conference is in full swing! To be held virtually March 8-9, […]

NFPT Scholarship

Summer 2020 NFPT Scholarship Winner

The second winner for the NFPT Scholarship was announced July 31st. The Ruby Parker Puckett Scholarship is an opportunity for […]

Facility Updates: Part 1

UF OPWD staff is slowly trickling in as our back-to-work plan is coming into effect. It’s been wonderful to see […]

Ron Trygar

UF TREEO Ron Trygar as Podcast Guest

Ron Trygar, UF TREEO Instructor for Water/Wastewater Programs, was recently a guest on the very first podcast of Treatment Plant […]

Facility Safety Updates

As COVID-19 restrictions loosen and our University starts to re-open, the Office of Professional and Workforce Development is working to […]

Andy and Ron

TREEO Pond Clean-Up

Last week, a few of our employees took the extra job description ‘other duties as assigned’ to a new level. […]

Human Trafficking Prevention Course Launches

The mission and purpose of the Community Engagement department in the University of Florida Office of Professional and Workforce Development […]

Coursera

Welcome to our Learning Cafe!

The University of Florida’s Office of Professional and Workforce Development in partnership with Coursera is pleased to offer for a […]

Wellness

Wellness Update – Quarantine Edition

Working from home is a new challenge for many, but employees of the Office of Professional and Workforce Development have taken […]

FlaWARN

FlaWARN Launch

Florida’s Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (FlaWARN) has a fresh online look and new database! FlaWARN is the formalized system of […]

Working From Home

Our Regularly Scheduled Update – But Remote

The Office of Professional and Workforce Development is working diligently to bring our sector of face-to-face content into the online […]

Covid

COVID-19

In accordance with guidance issued by the State University System, the University of Florida, and in response to the COVID-19 […]

She Leads With

IWL 2020

This week the Office of Professional and Workforce Development (OPWD) is preparing for the 3rd Annual Inspiring Women Leaders (IWL) […]

NFPT Kitchen

NFPT Scholarship Winner

The first-ever scholarship winner for Spring 2020 was announced in late January. The Ruby Parker Puckett Scholarship is an opportunity for […]

Wanda

Community Outreach

This week the Office of Professional and Workforce Development (OPWD) wanted to highlight two employees for their efforts in implementing […]

Wellness Update

2020 Wellness Update

In December we updated a space at our facility where employees can take a relaxation break, work on a puzzle, […]

OPWD Homepage

Welcome to the OPWD Insider!

The Office of Professional and Workforce Development (OPWD) is excited to embark on an online-blogging journey to educate our audiences […]