Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday that Northwest Florida State College has been awarded $3 million to build a Maritime Fabrication Training Center on the college’s Niceville campus.
- The approximately 4,000-square-foot facility will include two purpose-built training bays — one for composite fabrication and one for metal fabrication.
It will support two new workforce programs: a 22-credit College Credit Certificate in Composite Fabrication and Testing and a 600-hour Industrial Pipefitter Career Certificate with two occupational completion points.
NWFSC President Mel Ponder attended the announcement in Jacksonville.
“Northwest Florida has the opportunity to build and sustain the ships, aircraft and advanced systems that carry American power, and our College’s responsibility is to make sure we have the skilled workforce ready to meet that demand,” Ponder said. “The Maritime Fabrication Training Center will give our students hands-on experience using the same processes and techniques they will encounter in industry, while earning credentials that employers recognize and value.”
Ponder said the center will create a direct pathway into high-wage, high-skill careers that allow students to build their futures in Northwest Florida.
- “This is exactly the kind of workforce education investment that strengthens our students, our employers and our region at the same time,” he said.
The Niceville campus sits in the center of a growing maritime corridor stretching from Panama City to Pensacola and is within minutes of Eglin Air Force Base, Hurlburt Field and Duke Field. Shipbuilding, defense and aerospace employers across the region increasingly rely on composite materials and skilled pipefitters and fabricators, according to the college.
The college credited Gov. DeSantis and Florida Commerce Secretary Alex Kelly for the investment, along with the Northwest Florida legislative delegation, regional economic development organizations, county and community leaders, and private-sector employers who supported the project.
Rhea Goff, chair of the NWFSC Board of Trustees, said the project will help the college respond directly to regional employer needs.
“By responding directly to the needs of our region’s employers, we are creating new pathways for students to enter strong careers while helping ensure Northwest Florida remains competitive in industries that are critical to our state and our nation,” Goff said.
Students will train in an environment designed to mirror the workplace, developing technical skills and earning credentials recognized by employers.
“The Maritime Fabrication Training Center will allow us to provide students with practical, hands-on training that closely reflects what they will experience in the workplace,” said Dr. Christopher Gabers, NWFSC dean of workforce education. “Our goal is to work alongside industry to ensure these programs teach the skills employers need today while preparing students to adapt as technology and manufacturing processes continue to evolve.”
