What has four wheels, state-of-the-art equipment and the ability to train the employees you need in two weeks right at your doorstep? The Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership's Mobile Outreach Skills Training (M.O.S.T.) traveling unit, which is not only able to take its services directly to manufacturers' facilities anywhere in the state, but can also tailor its training program to meet the specific needs of the company.

The M.O.S.T. traveling training program - designed to provide a mix of practical skills, theory and hands-on curriculum - utilizes both computer-based 3-D simulations and self-paced training modules. After a two-week, intensive training session, participating employers have the option to interview and hire trainees. Those hired continue to receive on-the-job training from Florida MEP. This approach to hiring has translated into an amazing 85 percent of participants remaining in those manufacturing jobs after six months.

For more information about Florida MEP, visit www.floridamep.org.

Already home to growing medical simulation technology, Orlando's 'medical city' at Lake Nona was recently selected as the national site for the Department of Veterans Affairs' Medical Simulation Center for Excellence.

The center, to be located at the new Orlando VA Medical Complex, will serve as the nationwide training and planning home for the VA's new medical simulation system, making our region the focal point for improved care and treatment of veterans across the country.

The Lake Nona site was selected for its unique collaborative environment and ability to partner with the surrounding UCF College of Medicine, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando and Nemours Children's Hospital.

On Monday, February 15, an independent feature film, "Homecoming", will begin shooting in Celebration. Produced by About the Logo, LLC, "Homecoming" is a story of an Army medic who is home on leave from Afghanistan. During her time home, she has to deal with changing relationships with her family, friends and community.

The film will be shooting February 15 - mid-March at locations mainly in Celebration but also in Kissimmee.

The film industry is very competitive and is largely driven by incentives. And as the Florida Legislature prepares to return for the 2010 Session, film industry professionals are focused on working to convert the current statewide incentive into a tax credit. For more information, visit http://filmorlando.com/Resources/hb697.stml.

Tech industry powerhouses from throughout Central Florida - including NASA, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, SAIC, Boeing, Harris Corporation, Naval Air Warfare Center, U.S. Army PEO-STRI, Disney, and Cox Marketing - have joined with the University of Central Florida, Manufacturers Association of Central Florida and Florida Virtual School to encourage study in science, technology, engineering and math.

This impressive coalition represents the charter members of the Central Florida STEM Education Council (CFSEC), which will be based at the UCF Business Incubation Program in the Central Florida Research Park.

Their end goal is to prepare and entice pre-college students to enter technical fields of study and, ultimately, to pursue high-tech jobs in Central Florida. Efforts will be directed at students in Orange, Seminole, Lake, Osceola, Brevard, Volusia, Polk and Flagler counties.

Despite the recession, the demand for qualified technical workers remains high in Central Florida. This initiative will help address that demand well into the future.