YULEE, Fla. – Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday morning to unveil its new commercial vehicle driving program at the Nassau Center in Yulee.
FSCJ leaders and Nassau County officials gathered to celebrate the project and the opportunities it will bring to residents.
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“It’s an exciting day for a variety of different reasons. Obviously, it gives us that opportunity to continue to expand, but more importantly, meet the workforce needs of all of Florida, but more specifically, in Northeast Florida,” FSCJ President John Avendano said.
According to a release, the project was created through a $3.2 million Florida Job Growth Grant from the Florida Department of Commerce. Those funds have allowed FSCJ to expand in Nassau County by providing equipment and tools, building the driving pad, and providing hands-on training to nearly 400 students annually.
Upon completion of the program, these students will be ready to enter the commercial vehicle driving field.
“This is a high demand, high wage job where we’re going to be turning out as many as 400 graduates a year, sending them right into the logistics industry where they can immediately get a job, oftentimes even a sign-in bonus to take that initial job. So, we are very excited to be potentially doubling the capacity of the college and providing those drivers directly into Nassau County,” FSCJ Associate Vice President of Academic Operations Dr. Rich Turner said.
The new Nassau Center Truck Driving Facility is located at 76346 William Burgess Blvd. in Yulee.