Ring Power Corp. is the latest Jacksonville-area company to commit as a partner in Junior Achievement of North Florida’s new Experiential Learning Center planned at Florida State College at Jacksonville’s Downtown campus.
In an April 6 news release, Ring Power said it would be a storefront sponsor of JA Biz Town, an experience for grades 4-6 offering students a chance to develop financial capability, acquire workforce readiness skills and develop career confidence. Plans for the Experiential Learning Center also include JA Finance Park for grades 7-12.
W.W. Gay Contractor Inc. signed on as a storefront sponsor for JA Biz Town in March.
David Alban, CEO and president of Ring Power, said in the release that the project would “create meaningful, hands-on learning experiences for young people across our region.”
Ring Power, based in St. Augustine, is a heavy equipment dealer.
“The Experiential Learning Center will help students better understand how business, education, and industry connect — and how the skills they are developing today can lead to future opportunities,” he said.
The release said Ring Power is a Junior Achievement sustaining donor and is expanding its support through a multiyear partnership that will help deliver career-connected learning experiences to an estimated 30,000 students annually.
“Ring Power stepping forward early sends a powerful signal about the importance of this project for our region’s economic future. Their business sits at the center of many of the industries that build and maintain our communities from construction and infrastructure to utilities, transportation, and logistics and all of those sectors depend on a strong pipeline of skilled talent,” Shannon Italia, president of JANFL, said in the release.
Groundbreaking for the Experiential Learning Center is expected this year. JA BizTown and JA Finance Park are nationally recognized Junior Achievement programs that combine classroom curricula with a one-day simulation experience.
Within JA BizTown, students will visit the Ring Power storefront to learn about careers in the skilled trades, engineering, operations and logistics.
Ring Power and W.W. Gay will be among 36 companies represented in the center, each helping students explore the industries that help drive Northeast Florida’s economy.
Junior Achievement officials said in the release that the partnerships move the organization closer to its goal of raising $5 million to break ground on the center this year, part of a broader $15 million campaign to design, build and launch the center.