Construction Ready celebrated the graduation of the first class of graduates from Jacksonville’s first adult training program. The class was designed to train skilled workers for construction projects. As part of the graduation, the students were matched with jobs with local employers. The goal of the Construction Ready program is to help close the workforce skills gap. Classes are held inside Northeast Florida CareerSource offices located downtown 215 N Market Street, #340. The need for skilled workers has continued through the pandemic. Indeed.com currently lists over 1,700 construction job openings in the Jacksonville area. Closing this skills gap and educating more people about careers in the skilled professions is Construction Ready’s primary goal.
This year, Construction Ready plans to offer Jacksonville residents four free 20-day construction education programs that end with training, credentialing, and job placement.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have committed $100,000 as a lead donation to support the first Construction Ready class in Northeast Florida.
Since 2014, the Construction Ready program has trained more than 1,300 workers of all ages for a successful career in construction. Successes of the program include: 97% job placement by end of training; average starting salary of $13-17/hour; 70% of participants employed with the same company one year later. Graduates will have the opportunity to work on numerous projects around northeast Florida, including the new Sports Performance Center adjacent to TIAA Bank Field and the Shipyards, a new vision for downtown being spearheaded by the Jaguars. For the first session, recruitment is focusing on the Outeast neighborhood just north of the downtown sports complex. Construction Ready is also holding Facebook Live sessions each month to reach young people interested in the skilled trades. On selected Tuesdays at Noon, Construction Ready President and CEO Scott Shelar, host Kayleen McCabe and their guests discuss a different aspect of the construction industry with the goal of educating students about career opportunities in the construction industry.
For more information and to register, applicants should visit www.constructionready.org.
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