Since 1973, the Northeast Florida Builders Association’s (NEFBA) Apprenticeship Program has trained skilled trades professionals for careers in residential construction. Soon, a 43,000-square-foot Workforce Development Center will set up the program for the next 50 years.

To combat Florida’s skilled labor shortage, NEFBA oversees four-year, debt-free apprenticeship tracks in carpentry, plumbing, electrical and HVAC that blend classroom instruction with paid jobsite training. By managing classroom instruction and hands-on experience, NEFBA has created an apprenticeship model that can be replicated across the country.

“We are our own little school,” said Christina Thomas, NEFBA director of workforce development. “Because we are a full apprenticeship, we do both the trade instruction and oversee the on-the-job training.”

The program has 540 enrolled apprentices for 2025-26 and graduated more than 2,500 students in total. Apprentices complete 8,000 hours of training through the program, attend classes two nights per week from August to April and finish with a Florida Department of Education Apprenticeship Certificate of Completion.

Apprentices are full-time employees of local companies, and employers cover all tuition costs and help shape the program. This connection, according to NEFBA Vice President of Training Tim Conlan, is what’s kept the program going for so many years. 

“It’s the engagement of the employers,” Conlan said. “They’re the ones who drive the committees and provide leadership assistance to the staff. It keeps the program connected to the industry and relevant to what we need as industry professionals.”

For years, the program operated out of a 10,000-square-foot building donated by a community partner, but enrollment has expanded by nearly 250% in the last decade and NEFBA has outgrown the space. As a result, NEFBA formed a 501(c)(3) and launched an ongoing capital campaign to secure a permanent home that would allow ownership of the building’s schedule, classrooms and long-term planning.

Executive Officer Jessie Spradley said that NEFBA has needed its own educational space for at least the last 10 years, but the conversation became more serious within the last four. After a two-year search, they’ve found the “Goldilocks” building that meets all their needs.

“From the front to the back, we’ll fully control our apprenticeship program, and it will be industry led,” Spradley said. “By us controlling this program, we’re not going to forget our carpenters, our plumbers, our electricians or our HVAC technicians.”

The new building, purchased in January 2025, is under renovation and will feature 11 classrooms, four hands-on lab spaces and a 300-seat auditorium. The ribbon cutting is set for Aug. 13 before classes begin Aug. 17.

“[With the new center], you have an ability to combat educational barriers that sometimes take place,” Thomas said. “This will allow us to put the tools — literally and figuratively — into the hands of the students who haven’t had exposure.”

Spradley said they’ve spent the last decade creating relationships with local high schools to strengthen the pipeline of future apprentices. The new center will allow NEFBA to expand this outreach to host more and larger events that generate student interest.

Looking ahead with the new Workforce Development Center, NEFBA may introduce daytime programming, add additional trades and increase the program’s enrollment. No matter what, Thomas said, they’ll continue to prioritize meeting the needs of today’s residential construction industry.

“Our focus for the last couple years has been on quality,” Conlan said. “Quality of the apprentice. Quality of the instructors. Quality of the staff. Now, it’s quality of the center. We want to be considered the premier educational center, not only in Florida but in the nation.”