How many job & career resources are in Florida?

Women's Corner tracks 15 job & career resources for women in Florida.

Are job & career resources in Florida free?

15 of the 15 listed job & career resources in Florida are explicitly free or low-cost.

Which cities in Florida have job & career resources?

Listings span cities including Miami, Orlando.

What are some examples of job & career resources in Florida?

Featured entries include CareerSource Florida, CareerSource South Florida, CareerSource Central Florida, Goodwill of South Florida — Career Services, Florida Small Business Development Center.

Do these listings include phone numbers?

5 of 15 Florida job & career listings include phone numbers.

Where do I get free job training?

Your local American Job Center (find at CareerOneStop.org or call 1-877-872-5627) offers free training, resume help, and job placement through the WIOA program. Goodwill, Dress for Success, and Bottomless Closet provide job-readiness, interview clothing, and coaching. Community colleges run short-term certificate programs (CNA, medical billing, IT) under $1,000 that lead to immediate jobs.

Are there programs that hire single mothers?

Yes. Many employers partner with Goodwill, YWCA, and Workforce Boards on second-chance and single-mom hiring tracks — childcare assistance, flexible schedules, and tuition reimbursement included. Look at 'Family Forward NC' style state initiatives, certified Family-Friendly employers, and federal contractors (required to support working parents). Healthcare and logistics are the fastest-growing single-mom-friendly fields.

How do I write a resume after years out of the workforce?

Skip the chronological format — use a functional or hybrid resume that leads with skills (organization, budgeting, time management, problem-solving from caregiving counts). Reframe volunteer work, PTA, and freelance work as professional experience. Free help: American Job Centers, Dress for Success Career Center, LinkedIn's free resume builder, and the SBA Women's Business Centers.

What if I have a criminal record?

You still qualify for most jobs — Ban-the-Box laws in 37 states delay background questions until later in hiring. Federal contractors can't ask about records on the initial application. The Federal Bonding Program insures employers against loss for hiring you. Many states allow expungement of certain records after a waiting period — ask legal aid about clearing your record.

Best Job & Career in Florida — 15 resources

About Job & Career for Women

Job and career resources for women run through the 2,400+ American Job Centers (AJCs) nationwide, the Department of Labor's Women's Bureau, and SBA Women's Business Centers. AJCs offer free job search, resume help, and WIOA-funded training (often

0,000+ in tuition for in-demand occupations). WANTO grants fund women entering nontraditional trades like construction, electrical, and HVAC. Registered Apprenticeships pay workers during training, and organizations like Chicago Women in Trades, Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW), and Dress for Success support entry and re-entry. For formerly incarcerated women, programs like the Center for Employment Opportunities provide transitional jobs. This directory includes AJCs, WBCs, apprenticeships, and women-focused workforce programs.

Job & Career in Florida

Florida handles family law in circuit courts across its 20 judicial circuits. The Department of Revenue Child Support Program oversees enforcement statewide. Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, and Fort Lauderdale are the largest metros. Bay Area Legal Services, Three Rivers Legal Services, the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and statewide Planned Parenthood affiliates serve women.

15 Resources

1. CareerSource Florida — Free

CareerSource Florida is the statewide workforce-development network with 24 regional boards operating American Job Centers in every county. Mothers can call the central line to find their local board, document unemployment work-search activities, or access WIOA-funded training scholarships for in-demand occupations.

(866) 352-2345 · Statewide network · Mon-Fri 8am-5pm · Visit Website

2. CareerSource South Florida — Free

CareerSource South Florida serves Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties with free resume help, career counseling, and WIOA-funded training scholarships from its Corporate Center Drive office. Bilingual English-Spanish staff handle most intakes; the orientation requirement is one session before any one-on-one work.

(305) 594-7615 · 7300 Corporate Center Dr Suite 500, Miami, FL 33126 · Mon-Fri 8am-5pm · Visit Website

3. CareerSource Central Florida — Free

CareerSource Central Florida serves Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, and Sumter Counties with employment counseling, training scholarships, and free use of computer and printer resources on Orange Avenue in downtown Orlando. The orientation runs multiple times weekly to accommodate working parents.

(407) 531-1222 · 390 N Orange Ave Suite 700, Orlando, FL 32801 · Mon-Fri 8am-5pm · Visit Website

4. Goodwill of South Florida — Career Services — Free

Goodwill South Florida on NW 21st Street in Miami offers free job training, career counseling, and placement specifically for women with employment barriers — past incarceration, long gaps in employment history, limited English. Programs include healthcare-support certificates and IT helpdesk training paid for by Goodwill.

(305) 325-9114 · 2121 NW 21st St, Miami, FL 33142 · Mon-Fri 8am-5pm · Visit Website

5. Florida Small Business Development Center — Free

Florida SBDC's statewide network provides free one-on-one business counseling, training workshops, and access to SBA loan programs through hosted centers at state universities. Mothers exploring self-employment can access ongoing consulting at no charge — the SBA pays for the counselor's time, not the client.

(866) 737-7232 · Multiple locations statewide · Mon-Fri 8am-5pm · Visit Website

6. CareerOneStop — Free

CareerOneStop is the US Department of Labor's career hub with skill assessments, training finder, salary tools, and the official American Job Center locator. Florida mothers exploring career changes should run the Interest Assessment — it surfaces unexpected occupational matches missed by simple keyword search.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

7. America's Job Centers — Free

AJCs offer free in-person career help, training referrals, and job-search assistance at 2,400-plus locations nationwide. Florida's AJC network is branded as CareerSource, with at least one location in every county and multiple sites in urban regional boards like CareerSource South Florida and CareerSource Tampa Bay.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

8. DOL Women's Bureau — Free

The DOL Women's Bureau publishes hard data on women's wages, occupational segregation, and unpaid caregiving labor. The Equal Pay Calculator is a useful tool for Florida mothers negotiating salary or evaluating whether to file a pay-equity complaint with the EEOC or Florida Commission on Human Relations.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

9. Dress for Success — Free

Dress for Success affiliates throughout Florida — Miami, Broward, Palm Beach, Tampa Bay, Orlando, Jacksonville — provide free interview-appropriate professional attire and career-development services. Referrals from a partner agency (often a CareerSource center or domestic-violence shelter) are typically required.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

10. Bottomless Closet — Free

Bottomless Closet provides free interview suiting, resume review, and career-development workshops from its New York City headquarters with referral partnerships across the country. Florida caseworkers can occasionally tap the network for clients relocating to or from NYC who need wardrobe support quickly.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

11. Year Up — Free

Year Up is a free one-year career-training program for low-income young adults 18-29 that pairs technical classroom training with a six-month corporate internship. Year Up operates cohorts in Tampa and Jacksonville placing graduates into financial services, tech, and healthcare roles at major regional employers.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

12. Goodwill Career Services — Free

Goodwill's national career-services site explains the broader Goodwill training ecosystem including online learning options through GoodwillU. Florida mothers should connect with their regional Goodwill first — Goodwill South Florida, Big Bend, Manasota, or Industries — since each runs distinct programs.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

13. Women Employed — Free

Women Employed is a Chicago-based advocacy organization publishing practical guides on salary negotiation, pregnancy discrimination, and tuition reimbursement. Useful research material for Florida mothers navigating workplace inequities — Florida is at-will with limited pregnancy-discrimination protections beyond federal law.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

14. SCORE — Free Business Mentors — Free

SCORE's national network of retired-executive mentors operates dozens of Florida chapters in Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, and elsewhere. One-on-one mentoring is free and ongoing; webinars cover business planning, marketing, access to capital, and SBA loan applications in plain English.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

15. SBA Office of Women's Business Ownership — Free

The SBA Women's Business Center network includes several Florida WBCs providing counseling, training, and access to capital specifically for women entrepreneurs. Locations in Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, and other cities operate as a complement to the SBDC network — many mothers use both simultaneously.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

Frequently Asked

How many job & career resources are in Florida?: Women's Corner tracks 15 job & career resources for women in Florida.
Are job & career resources in Florida free?: 15 of the 15 listed job & career resources in Florida are explicitly free or low-cost.
Which cities in Florida have job & career resources?: Listings span cities including Miami, Orlando.
What are some examples of job & career resources in Florida?: Featured entries include CareerSource Florida, CareerSource South Florida, CareerSource Central Florida, Goodwill of South Florida — Career Services, Florida Small Business Development Center.
Do these listings include phone numbers?: 5 of 15 Florida job & career listings include phone numbers.
Where do I get free job training?: Your local American Job Center (find at CareerOneStop.org or call 1-877-872-5627) offers free training, resume help, and job placement through the WIOA program. Goodwill, Dress for Success, and Bottomless Closet provide job-readiness, interview clothing, and coaching. Community colleges run short-term certificate programs (CNA, medical billing, IT) under
,000 that lead to immediate jobs.
Are there programs that hire single mothers?: Yes. Many employers partner with Goodwill, YWCA, and Workforce Boards on second-chance and single-mom hiring tracks — childcare assistance, flexible schedules, and tuition reimbursement included. Look at 'Family Forward NC' style state initiatives, certified Family-Friendly employers, and federal contractors (required to support working parents). Healthcare and logistics are the fastest-growing single-mom-friendly fields.
How do I write a resume after years out of the workforce?: Skip the chronological format — use a functional or hybrid resume that leads with skills (organization, budgeting, time management, problem-solving from caregiving counts). Reframe volunteer work, PTA, and freelance work as professional experience. Free help: American Job Centers, Dress for Success Career Center, LinkedIn's free resume builder, and the SBA Women's Business Centers.
What if I have a criminal record?: You still qualify for most jobs — Ban-the-Box laws in 37 states delay background questions until later in hiring. Federal contractors can't ask about records on the initial application. The Federal Bonding Program insures employers against loss for hiring you. Many states allow expungement of certain records after a waiting period — ask legal aid about clearing your record.