BEBR provides practical training to professionals and students to prepare them to contribute to the workforce in Florida and beyond. Postdoctoral Associates have the opportunity to participate in research projects, publish journal articles, attend conferences, present their research at conferences and to groups at UF and other institutions, work on service projects, and mentor graduate and undergraduate students. BEBR’s Network Science Program has trained several Postdoctoral Associates who have subsequently received positions at top-rated research institutions such as University of Miami. Graduate students are hired as graduate research assistants and receive mentoring from BEBR faculty and staff while working on grant and contract funded research. These students learn how to design and conduct research, write research articles for journal submissions, and give presentations at UF and academic conferences. After graduating, they receive positions as Postdoctoral Associates and faculty at research institutions, work in applied policy organizations, or get jobs in industry.

Both graduate and undergraduate students participate in BEBR’s internship program. Internships provide opportunities for students to get hands-on experience with applied research and service projects in BEBR’s programs in order to develop and build both soft and hard skills and give them a more competitive edge when applying for jobs or graduate school. BEBR has a long tradition of providing data to many constituencies in Florida, including government, non-profits, businesses, researchers, and private residents. Initially provided in books, this data subsequently became available through BEBR’s online database for several years. We are in the process of re-envisioning the way BEBR will continue to provide this data by integrating the expansion of BEBR’s internship program as a way of offering all students attending state colleges and universities in Florida the opportunity to learn from BEBR while providing service to the public.