Jacksonville educators tour JAXPORT to connect students with maritime careers

Local educators got a firsthand look at Northeast Florida's maritime industry this week as JAXPORT hosted instructors from Duval County Public Schools and Florida State College at Jacksonville for a workforce development summit aimed at connecting classroom lessons to port careers. The July 31 event brought teachers to JAXPORT headquarters and Talleyrand Marine Terminal for presentations, facility tours, and conversations with industry professionals about the skills and training pathways that prepare students for jobs in transportation, logistics, and maritime operations.

The visit, coordinated in partnership with Crowley and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, comes as the region's port sector pushes to build a workforce pipeline for the nearly 30,000 jobs supported by JAXPORT's operations across its three marine terminals—Talleyrand, Blount Island, and Dames Point—in Duval County. Duval County is launching its first merchant mariner Career and Technical Education program at First Coast High School this fall.

What educators saw at the port

Participating educators toured Talleyrand Marine Terminal on the St. Johns River, where container ships dock and cargo-handling equipment moves freight between vessels, trucks, and rail. Industry representatives from JAXPORT and Crowley, a logistics and shipping company operating at the port, walked teachers through the range of careers beyond the stereotype of shipboard work—including crane technicians, welders, mechanics, engineers, finance professionals, and business development staff.

"It's not every day you get to speak one-on-one with industry leaders and professionals," said Neil Schreiber, a Professor of Accounting and Business and Director for the Center for Economic and Financial Education at FSCJ. "Their perspectives helped instill a better understanding of port operations."

Dr. April Slade, Director of Social Studies for grades K–12 at Duval County Public Schools, described the visit as "an eye-opener" that will translate into classroom lessons. "Teachers were able to place what they see into action," she said. "Teachers spoke highly of it."

The session focused on career awareness, curriculum integration, and the misconception that maritime jobs are limited to working on ships. Patrick Tamasitis, Chief of Staff at Crowley, emphasized that port operations rely heavily on back-office roles. "There is a misconception that maritime work is just on the ships, but there are a lot of back-office jobs that contribute to the everyday operations of the port," he said, pointing to positions in administration, sales, and finance that keep cargo moving.

How this connects to Duval County classrooms

For Duval County Public Schools, the port tour serves a dual purpose: enriching social studies curriculum around economics and supply chains, and exposing students to career options in a major local industry. Dr. Slade said logistics concepts will be incorporated into K–12 social studies lessons focused on the economy and the supply chain's impact. "The goal is to get the background of logistics and supply chain in all schools," she said.

The timing aligns with a concrete expansion of career education: this fall, First Coast High School on the Westside will debut Duval County's first merchant mariner Career and Technical Education (CTE) program. CTE programs in Florida combine academic instruction with hands-on training for specific industries, often including industry certifications and internship opportunities. The merchant mariner track will prepare students for entry-level maritime roles, which typically require U.S. Coast Guard credentials and can lead to positions aboard commercial vessels, tugboats, or in port operations.

"Teachers will be able to take the knowledge of what they saw and create lessons from it," Dr. Slade said, emphasizing that the port visit gives instructors concrete examples to bring economic concepts to life in the classroom.

At the college level, FSCJ's Schreiber said the exposure to maritime career paths gives him new options to recommend to students navigating their futures. "This is a career that offers stability for our students," he said. "I have students who don't know what they want to do and I can now recommend JAXPORT to them."

Why the port sector is investing in workforce development

The push to educate teachers—and through them, students—reflects a strategic need. JAXPORT is Florida's largest container port by volume, and its operations support an estimated 30,000 jobs across maritime, transportation, warehousing, and related sectors in Northeast Florida. These jobs range widely in skill and education requirements: some demand four-year degrees and professional expertise, others call for technical certifications or trade apprenticeships, and still others are entry-level positions with on-the-job training.

Ports nationwide face workforce challenges as experienced workers retire and cargo volumes grow. Projects of JAXPORT's scale—including ongoing harbor deepening, terminal modernization, and capacity expansions—require sustained staffing in both direct port operations and the logistics ecosystem of trucking companies, freight forwarders, and terminal operators that connect the port to supply chains. Building a local talent pipeline reduces reliance on recruiting from outside the region and can shorten the time it takes employers to fill openings.

The maritime industry's breadth is part of the opportunity. Tamasitis highlighted skilled trades as a viable alternative to a four-year college path. "College is not for everyone," he said. "There are plenty of skilled trade and technical careers that can provide strong wages and long-term opportunities." Crane operators, diesel mechanics, welders, and electricians who maintain port equipment often earn middle-class incomes with vocational training and apprenticeships rather than bachelor's degrees.

For white-collar roles, the port sector competes with other industries for business graduates, engineers, and IT professionals—making early exposure important. Students who tour the terminals or learn about maritime logistics in high school may consider port-related employers when they reach the job market, particularly if they understand the industry's economic footprint in Jacksonville.

The economic footprint of Jacksonville's port

JAXPORT's three marine terminals span the lower St. Johns River from downtown to Blount Island and Dames Point near the river's mouth. Talleyrand Marine Terminal, where the educators toured, sits on the Northbank in downtown Jacksonville and primarily handles containers and vehicles. Blount Island, the largest terminal by acreage, is a hub for vehicle imports and container transloading. Dames Point, near the river's confluence with the Atlantic shipping channel, handles breakbulk cargo and containers.

The port's reach extends beyond its property lines. Cargo moving through JAXPORT generates demand for truck drivers, warehouse workers, customs brokers, cargo inspectors, and intermodal rail operations. The nearby Northside industrial corridor, including Cecil Commerce Center—a former naval air station converted to civilian use—has attracted logistics tenants in part because of port access. The convergence of I-95, I-295, and CSX and Norfolk Southern rail lines makes Jacksonville a distribution hub for freight destined across the Southeast.

Jacksonville's status as a military city adds another layer: Naval Station Mayport and NAS Jacksonville mean the region already has technical training infrastructure and a population familiar with maritime operations, which can ease recruitment for civilian port employers. The workforce development summit reflects an effort to extend that pipeline into the local school system before students choose career paths.

What happens next for maritime education in Duval County

The immediate next step is implementation in classrooms. Teachers who attended the summit will begin incorporating logistics and supply chain concepts into fall 2026 lesson plans, with the merchant mariner CTE program launching at First Coast High School this academic year. The program's debut will test demand and outcomes before the district considers expanding maritime career tracks to other high schools.

Longer-term, the partnership model—pairing JAXPORT with employers like Crowley and educational institutions like FSCJ—could grow. Workforce development summits of this type typically occur annually or semi-annually, with follow-up sessions to update educators on industry trends and hiring needs. FSCJ and other regional colleges offer logistics and supply chain management degree programs that could deepen articulation agreements with DCPS, allowing high school students to earn college credit while still enrolled.

For students, the path from classroom to career will vary. Those pursuing skilled trades may complete apprenticeships through unions or employers; those targeting business roles may follow a traditional college route; and CTE participants may graduate with certifications that qualify them for immediate employment. Tamasitis and other industry leaders emphasized that all three pathways have a place in the maritime sector, which needs both specialized technical skills and business acumen to function.

As Jacksonville continues to grow—driven by logistics, military presence, and affordability relative to South Florida—the port remains a anchor of the regional economy. Ensuring the next generation understands the career opportunities tied to that anchor is the bet JAXPORT and its partners are making through these educator partnerships. The 30,000-job figure the port cites includes not just direct terminal employment but the trucking, warehousing, logistics, and service jobs that ripple through Duval, Clay, St. Johns, and Nassau counties. Connecting local students to those jobs early could shape Northeast Florida's workforce for decades.