Junior Achievement of North Florida and Florida State College at Jacksonville announced a partnership to establish the Junior Achievement Experiential Learning Center through a 50-year land lease agreement at FSCJ’s Downtown campus.
The $15 million learning center is driven by a capital campaign. Kat Clark Espinosa, Junior Achievement of North Florida vice president of operations, said about $4 million has been pledged so far with another $5 million needed to break ground on the 35,000-square-foot center planned between Broad and Jefferson streets north of State Street.
Avant Construction is the civil engineer for the project. Group 4 Design is the architect.
“The ELC reflects what’s possible when education, business and community come together around a shared goal: preparing young people for choice-filled futures,” said Shannon Italia, president of Junior Achievement of North Florida, in a Jan. 20 news release. “This long-term partnership with FSCJ gives our community the foundation we need to build an experiential learning hub that strengthens student outcomes and supports a future-ready workforce.”
The release said the center is projected to serve more than 30,000 students annually from across Northeast Florida. The ELC will allow students to experience running businesses, earning paychecks, managing budgets and exploring career pathways through simulations that bridge classroom learning with real-world application.
“This partnership embodies FSCJ’s commitment to serving as an educational anchor for our community,” FSCJ President John Avendano said in the release. “By welcoming the Junior Achievement Experiential Learning Center to our Downtown Campus, we are expanding exposure and opportunity for young students across Jacksonville while strengthening the connection between early learning, college and career.”
Through experiences such as JA BizTown for grades 4-6 and JA Finance Park for grades 7-12, JA offers students a chance to develop financial capability, acquire workforce readiness skills and develop career confidence.
JA says the ELC is intended to strengthen Jacksonville’s talent pipeline by connecting students with local industries, employers and volunteers. About 4,000 volunteers and more than 200 companies are expected to engage annually, the organization said.
Construction is targeted to begin this year and a soft opening is projected for fall 2027.
More information is available at janflelc.org.