JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Northeast Florida Builders Association (NEFBA) on Thursday welcomed students from across the area to its National Apprenticeship Week Fall Expo.
One of those students was James Norton, a student at Ridgeview High School in Clay County. For James, working on HVAC systems has always been his passion.
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“I really love it,” Norton said. “It’s a goal I’ve been working at since I was about 14 years old.”
James joined dozens of other students from Northeast Florida to see what the NEFBA program has to offer.
“We train individuals that are seeking to go into the skill trades to become carpenters, electricians, HVAC technicians, and plumbers,” Christina Thomas, Director of Workforce Development at NEFBA, said.
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Students heard from apprentices about their experience, networked with skill trade industry leaders, and participated in hands-on demonstrations.
Something that Thomas said is needed now more than ever.
“We are going to experience in the state of Florida a 400,000-worker shortage in the skill trades over the next 5 years,” Thomas said.
According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the industry must hire approximately 723,000 new workers per year nationally to meet demand and replace retiring talent.
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For James, he said he hopes he can fill that gap.
“Honestly I’m really excited,” said James Norton. “My main thing for excitement is I want to start my own company, so I got to start from the bottom up. That’s what I’m really excited for.”
If you would like to learn more about Northeast Florida’s Builder’s Association’s Apprentice program, click here.
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