The Northeast Florida Builders Association has opened a workforce education center and headquarters on Jacksonville’s Southside as it expands its apprenticeship program to train more skilled construction workers.
NEFBA held a ribbon-cutting Aug. 13 at the 43,000-square-foot facility at 4932 Sunbeam Road.
The $7.5 million renovation added 11 classrooms and four hands-on labs for carpentry, electrical, plumbing and HVAC training.
The first class at the new facility will include 550 apprentices when classes begin Aug. 17, according to NEFBA.
The facility’s previous use was as a call center for Ventra Health, according to Seth Kelley of MCG General Contractors, NEFBA’s immediate past president and building chair.
In 2025, NEFBA ended its relationship with Florida State College at Jacksonville, which had provided workforce training at facilities across Baker, Clay and Duval counties, Kelley said.
He said the end of the relationship was a loss, but the new campus provided an opportunity to bring those workforce programs under one roof.
Kelley said renovating an existing building, rather than constructing a new one, also proved to be a cost-effective and quicker option.
NEFBA bought the property in 2025 for $3.9 million. The renovation was made possible by the “Together We Build” capital campaign that raised $6 million, including $1.1 million from the state and $1 million from the city. Jacksonville-based Auld & White Constructors LLC was the contractor.
Through the four-year apprenticeship program, graduates receive journeyman’s licenses in their respective trades. Tuition is about $800 per year for four years, with employers subsidizing the cost.
Dylan Crounse, a superintendent-in-training for Auld & White Constructors and a graduate of the NEFBA Apprenticeship Program, oversaw the renovation, according to a news release.
“Florida has a critical need for skilled tradespeople, and AI will not be replacing these jobs anytime soon,” state Rep. Wyman Duggan, R-Jacksonville, said at the ceremony.
Duggan and Sen. Jennifer Bradley, R-Fleming Island, were credited by NEFBA with securing the state funding.
“NEFBA’s Apprenticeship Program offers the next generation an opportunity to learn these vital skills, all while graduating debt-free with numerous opportunities. It is programs like these that are setting Jacksonville and Florida apart from the rest of the country,” Duggan said.
Other elected officials attending the ceremony included Florida Rep. Kim Kendall, R-St. Augustine, Florida Sen. Clay Yarborough, R-Jacksonville, Clay County Commissioner Jim Renninger and Jacksonville City Council members Kevin Carrico and Raul Arias.
NEFBA is Florida’s largest builder trade organization and the fourth largest in the nation, with 1,350 member companies, according to the association.