Goodwill of North Florida Partners with Junior Achievement for New Experiential Learning Center

Goodwill of North Florida Partners with Junior Achievement to Bring Retail, Workforce Development and Career Exploration to New Experiential Learning Center
Partnership will create immersive student experiences in Junior Achievement BizTown and Junior Achievement Finance Park while advancing a shared commitment to economic mobility

JACKSONVILLE, FL (September 14, 2026) - Junior Achievement of North Florida (JANFL) today announced a new partnership with Goodwill of North Florida that will bring the organization’s social enterprise and workforce development model to life for thousands of students each year at the future Junior Achievement Experiential Learning Center (ELC).

Through the partnership, Goodwill of North Florida will have a presence in both Junior Achievement BizTown and Junior Achievement Finance Park, giving students two distinct opportunities to experience the connections between business, career pathways, financial decision-making and community impact.

The partnership brings together two organizations with a shared commitment to economic mobility. Junior Achievement helps young people build financial capability, explore career pathways and develop the skills needed to access economic opportunity, while Goodwill works to remove barriers to employment through training, education and career opportunities.

“Economic mobility is at the heart of what we want to make possible for young people, and that makes Goodwill an especially meaningful partner for Junior Achievement,” said Shannon Italia, President of Junior Achievement of North Florida. “We both believe that exposure to opportunity, practical skills and clear career pathways can change the trajectory of someone’s life. Through these experiences, students will see firsthand how a business operates, explore careers they may not have considered and begin connecting the decisions they make today with the opportunities available to them tomorrow.”

Running a Goodwill Location in Junior Achievement BizTown
In Junior Achievement BizTown, students will step into the roles required to operate a Goodwill location and experience the full lifecycle of a donated item.

Students working in the Goodwill storefront will receive and assess donated goods, sort and prepare items for sale, make pricing decisions, manage inventory and merchandising, provide customer service and operate the checkout process. They will work together to meet business goals while learning how Goodwill’s retail operations generate revenue that supports its broader workforce mission.

The experience will extend beyond the students assigned to work at Goodwill. During the simulation, students throughout Junior Achievement BizTown will earn a paycheck and make decisions about how to spend their money, including the opportunity to shop at the Goodwill location.

Through the experience, students will see the cycle at work: donations create inventory, retail sales generate revenue, and that revenue supports workforce training and community impact.

Exploring Career Pathways in Junior Achievement Finance Park
Goodwill’s presence in Junior Achievement Finance Park will focus on another important part of its mission: helping people build skills and connect to meaningful employment.

Students will explore career pathways in skilled trades such as HVAC, plumbing, carpentry and electrical work, along with workforce certifications, training opportunities and entry points into in-demand careers. The experience will expose students to real-world trade skills, workplace safety, problem-solving and the important role skilled trades play in the local economy.

Students will also discover how Goodwill connects its retail operations to workforce development, helping them understand how donations and purchases support training and career opportunities. The experience will reinforce the connection between education, skills, employment, earning potential and long-term economic mobility.

“Goodwill believes in the power of work to change lives, and this partnership gives us an opportunity to introduce young people to the many pathways available to them,” said David Rey, President and CEO of Goodwill of North Florida. “Students will see that Goodwill is much more than a place to donate or shop. Those activities help fuel our mission to remove barriers to employment through training, education and career opportunities, creating pathways to meaningful work and greater economic mobility.”

Preparing Students for the Future
The Goodwill partnership reflects the broader vision for the Junior Achievement Experiential Learning Center: creating a place where classroom learning becomes real-world experience and students begin to see a pathway to their own economic futures.

Junior Achievement BizTown allows students to operate a simulated economy as employees, consumers and citizens, while Junior Achievement Finance Park helps students explore careers and practice making the financial decisions they will face as adults. Together, the programs help young people build financial capability, understand the world of work and see a wider range of possibilities for their futures.

The approximately 34,000-square-foot ELC will be located on Florida State College at Jacksonville’s Downtown Campus and is planned to serve more than 30,000 students annually when fully operational.

“Partnerships like this are what will make the ELC such a powerful experience,” Italia said. “Students won’t simply hear us tell them about careers, financial decisions or how businesses contribute to a community. They will experience those connections for themselves. We are incredibly grateful to Goodwill of North Florida for investing in our students and helping us create experiences that can open doors to opportunity and economic mobility.”

About Junior Achievement of North Florida
Junior Achievement of North Florida is dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through hands-on learning experiences focused on financial literacy, career readiness and entrepreneurship, Junior Achievement helps students build financial capability, explore career pathways and develop the skills and confidence needed to pursue economic opportunity. With the support of educators, volunteers and community partners, Junior Achievement of North Florida provides students with experiences designed to prepare them for success in work and life.

About Goodwill of North Florida
Goodwill Industries of North Florida is a local, not-for-profit organization that removes barriers to employment through training, education and career opportunities for the communities it serves. Goodwill turns donated goods into resources that support job training, education and employment services, helping individuals develop skills, access meaningful work and build greater independence.