Celebrating 40 Years: CareerSource Northeast Florida's Partnership with the St. Johns County Chamber

This year, CareerSource Northeast Florida marks 40 years as a member of the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce. The organization has changed its name and grown over four decades as a member. What has stayed the same is its mission: connecting talent to businesses for six counties in Northeast Florida, including St. Johns County.

Building a Talent Pipeline

"Our mission is to connect talent to businesses," said Cheryl Taylor, president and CEO of CareerSource Northeast Florida. "It is to build a talent pipeline for the six counties that we serve here in Northeast Florida."

Taylor pointed to St. Johns County's growth in aviation, advanced manufacturing, and health care as proof of the opportunity ahead. She said Chamber membership gives CareerSource a direct line to local businesses and their real needs.

"How can we support them at no cost? How can we assist them and be that arm for them in developing that talent?" Taylor said. "It's an opportunity to network, to listen, to grow, to support, to partner and to collaborate."

That partnership shows up in the Chamber's programming. Earlier this year, CareerSource worked with the Chamber to host a health care career event, bringing local employers together with young adults exploring careers beyond nursing and clinical roles, including opportunities in health care administration.

Earn as You Learn

Doreen Lund, apprenticeship manager at CareerSource Northeast Florida, works directly with employers and job seekers to build "earn as you learn" programs. These let someone enter a career with no prior experience, train on the job, and get paid the entire time.

Lund said in-person events, like the Chamber's health care event, give job seekers something an online application can't.

"You have that ability to make that eye contact, to bring yourself and meet and hear personally from those recruiters what's going on at those organizations," Lund said.

Lund has represented CareerSource on Chamber panels about workforce development and apprenticeships, and has joined employer brainstorming sessions focused on solving talent issues in the region. She also planned an apprenticeship accelerator event, held at Ring Power Corporation. Dozens attended to learn how apprenticeship models could work in their own organizations.

A Partnership That Works Both Ways

Ring Power's relationship with CareerSource began with recruitment and grew into a full apprenticeship program. Tony Pellegrino, director of training and development at Ring Power, said the company hosted the apprenticeship accelerator in April with more than 60 attendees.

"Our career pipeline is really important," Pellegrino said. "Making sure that we have technicians who can fill our service roles at Ring Power is critical for us."

Ring Power apprentices start as full-time employees from day one, with structured training, mentorship, and support services built in.

"It starts with just having great relationships with the CareerSource folks," Pellegrino said. "Always easy, always clear. They always bring to us great ideas. It's an excellent partnership."

Four Decades of Growth

The organization's name has changed over the years, but its role in St. Johns County has only expanded. Forty years of Chamber membership have produced health care career events, apprenticeship programs, employer brainstorming sessions, and a growing bench of skilled workers ready to fill jobs across the region.

The St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce congratulates CareerSource Northeast Florida on 40 years of membership and looks forward to continuing the partnership.