JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — On Thursday, dozens gathered for the grand opening of the Northeast Florida Builders Association’s (NEFBA) new headquarters and Workforce Education Center.
“This has been a journey for over 10 years in the making,” NEFBA President Scott Brannock said.
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Brannock said the building, located 4932 Sunbeam Road, will be used by the hundreds of students taking part in NEFBA’s Apprenticeship program.
“Our apprenticeship program, over 50 years old, never had a home. We used borrowed space throughout Jacksonville. The vision was to create a space where we bring all of our operations under one roof,” Brannock said. “This building is a game changer.”
NEFBA trains hundreds of construction workers each year through the Apprenticeship program. It’s designed to meet the growing demand for skilled labor and offers the kind of hands-on training that AI cannot replace.
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The 43,000-square foot building has 11 classrooms and four labs for electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and carpentry.
The renovation cost $7.5 million.
“They’re getting tools, and more and more tools, each and every single day having that available to the students. It’s just life-changing for them,” Dylan Crounse, a Superintendent in training with Auld & White Constructors and a graduate from NEFBA’s Apprenticeship program, said.
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Crounse oversaw construction on the new building. For him, seeing the building open was a full circle moment.
“It changed my life,” Crounse said about the Apprenticeship program. “I have two younger daughters. Later on, I’m going to drive them around Jacksonville and say, ‘Daddy built that.’ And no one can ever take that away from me.”
Students can start utilizing the building on Monday.
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