In the Times-Union: Northeast Florida construction jobs finally on track to grow again

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Martin Smith, Florida Coast Career Tech director, provided Bauerlein with some stats about students enrolled in construction classes this past term:

"At Florida Coastal Career Tech, which is part of Florida State College at Jacksonville, about 980 students took construction classes during the spring semester.

Marty Smith, director of the career tech school, said a service the college uses to track help-wanted advertisements shows growing demand for construction workers.

He said it’s too early to tell how much that demand will grow, but he compares it to a surfer catching a wave — the time to ride the wave is before it reaches its height and breaks toward shore.

“You want to catch the wave as it’s rising,” he said. “We’re building a swell. How high that swell is going to get, I don’t know. It is safe to say there is a rise going on.”

Copyright The Florida Times-Union

David Bauerlein: (904) 359-4581
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