Jacksonville Gets $15M Student Center for 30K Kids a Year

Thousands of Jacksonville students will soon get hands-on experience running businesses and managing money in a space designed just for them.

Junior Achievement of North Florida is partnering with Florida State College at Jacksonville to build a $15 million Experiential Learning Center on the college's downtown campus. The 35,000-square-foot facility will let students step into realistic simulations where they earn paychecks, manage budgets, and explore career paths.

The center targets students from fourth grade through high school. Through programs like JA BizTown for younger kids and JA Finance Park for teens, students will practice real-world skills before they need them in actual jobs.

About $4 million has already been pledged toward the project, which needs $9 million total to break ground. The center is planned for construction between Broad and Jefferson streets, with a soft opening scheduled for fall 2027.

Shannon Italia, president of Junior Achievement of North Florida, says the partnership shows what happens when education, business, and community unite around preparing young people for choice-filled futures. The 50-year land lease agreement gives the project a solid foundation for decades of impact.

The Ripple Effect

The center's reach extends far beyond individual students. More than 30,000 young people from across Northeast Florida will rotate through the facility each year, gaining financial literacy and workforce readiness skills that follow them into adulthood.

About 4,000 volunteers and over 200 companies are expected to engage with the center annually. That means local business professionals will mentor students directly, connecting classroom concepts to actual career opportunities in Jacksonville's industries.

FSCJ President John Avendano notes the center strengthens the connection between early learning, college, and career. Students who visit the campus for Junior Achievement programs may return years later as college students, already familiar with the pathway to higher education.

The project aims to build Jacksonville's talent pipeline from the ground up, giving kids exposure to careers they might never have considered otherwise.

Construction is set to begin this year, bringing Northeast Florida one step closer to a workforce development model that starts in elementary school and grows with students through their teen years.