Suncoast Builders Association launches a new academy to strengthen Sarasota’s construction workforce for generations to come
Across the homebuilding industry, a shortage of skilled workers is creating challenges for builders facing growing demand for new homes. From carpenters and electricians to plumbers, framers, and other skilled trades, finding and developing the people needed to build the homes of the future has become an increasingly important issue. Sarasota is no exception, with continued growth placing further pressure on the local construction workforce. Against this backdrop, the Suncoast Builders Association is helping to address the gap by introducing people to the trades, developing practical skills, and creating a pathway into careers in homebuilding.
For more than six decades, the Suncoast Builders Association (SBA) has been a unified voice for the building, construction, development, and associated industries across the Sarasota region. Originally chartered in 1958, the association has evolved alongside the communities it serves, bringing industry professionals together to advocate for a strong housing market, a healthy local economy, and continued regional growth. Affiliated with both the Florida Home Builders Association and the National Association of Home Builders, the SBA combines local insight with statewide and national industry connections. At its core is a simple philosophy: ‘Do business with a member’.
Today, by uniting builders and allied businesses, the SBA creates a powerful platform for advocacy while helping members build valuable connections, share opportunities, and grow their businesses. Leading the association is Jon Mast, Chief Executive Officer, who has been fundamental in driving the launch of the SBA’s most exciting new development: the Suncoast Apprenticeship Academy. Modern Home Builders joins Jon for an exclusive interview discussing the academy’s conceptualization, goals, and future industry impact.
Suncoast Apprenticeship Academy
“The Suncoast Apprenticeship Academy was created to build a stronger and more sustainable pipeline of skilled construction workers for our region. Our goal is to provide students with recognized credentials and direct connections to employers who can help them begin meaningful careers in the building industry,” Jon begins. “Our region has a significant disconnect between the need for skilled workers and the availability of accessible, industry-focused training. Employers are ready to hire, but too many prospective workers lack the basic skills, credentials, and connections necessary to enter the industry. We are working to close that gap.
“The skilled labor shortage in the Sarasota and Manatee counties reaches every homeowner in our community. Without immediate action to recruit and train the next generation of skilled tradespeople, families will face longer waiting times and higher costs when they need someone to repair their plumbing, restore their air conditioning, replace a roof, renovate their property, or build a new home. Investing in workforce development today is essential to ensure that these critical services remain available, affordable, and dependable for our growing community.
“The academy will offer construction pre-apprenticeship education certified through the Home Builders Institute, taught by current and retired local tradesmen,” Jon elaborates. “Students will receive instruction in construction math, blueprint reading, workplace safety, and several core trades, including carpentry, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC. Our programs are designed to serve recent high school graduates, unemployed or underemployed adults, individuals seeking a new career and young people who may not see a traditional college education as the right path for them.”
This hands-on approach is part of a larger effort to change how young people view careers in construction. Rather than positioning the trades as an alternative to college, Jon wants students to see construction as a first-choice career.
“The building industry offers tremendous opportunities to earn a strong income, develop valuable skills, advance into management and, eventually, own a business,” he explains. “We need to reach students earlier and give them meaningful exposure to the industry through school partnerships, jobsite visits, internships, pre-apprenticeship programs, and direct interaction with successful tradespeople and business owners.”
With a site now secured, the development of the Suncoast Apprenticeship Academy is in full swing. The academy’s new home will be strategically located on the former Perkins Restaurant property at 5921 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, which is currently being renovated to support the school’s long-term vision.
“We envision the former Perkins property becoming a regional center for construction education and workforce development. The existing building will be renovated to provide administrative offices, student support areas, space for industry meetings, employer engagement, graduations, and community events,” Jon details. “Our long-term vision also includes approximately 7000 square feet of workshop space and an additional 7000 square feet of classrooms and instructional areas inside a two-story, 14,000-square-foot building addition. This will allow students to learn in a real-world environment where they can move from classroom instruction directly into practical training.”
This combination of classroom and workshop space is designed to mirror the evolving construction workplace, where technical knowledge, hands-on skills, and technology increasingly go hand in hand. By creating an environment where students can learn core skills and immediately apply them in a practical setting, the academy can also introduce them to the equipment, products, systems, and technologies they will encounter on the job, preparing graduates to enter the workforce with both confidence and adaptability.
“As the construction industry becomes more technology-driven, the academy will combine hands-on instruction with technology-based learning,” Jon affirms. “Our industry partners will also play an important role by demonstrating the equipment, products, and systems that students will encounter in the workplace. The goal is to produce graduates who respect the fundamentals but are also comfortable adapting to new technology throughout their careers.”
As the academy takes shape, its success will ultimately be measured by the opportunities those graduates create for themselves, their employers, and the communities they serve. In doing so, the SBA is helping lay the foundation for a stronger, more skilled, and more resilient construction industry across region.
“The academy’s goal is to serve approximately 420 students during its first three years of operation. Within five years, the academy aims to serve at least 700 students through pre-apprenticeship training, employer sponsored apprenticeship programs, professional licensure education and continuing education, with the capacity to serve even more as industry demand and employer participation grow,” Jon enthuses, optimistic for the future ahead.
“The academy has the potential to be transformational for Sarasota and Manatee counties. Currently, there is no program that we know of that provides pre-apprenticeship training in our region for adults. That is an enormous opportunity to fill a huge need that can make a colossal positive impact in so many ways in our community for years to come. The vision for the academy is more than a building or a training program: it’s a long-term investment in people, families, businesses, and the economic future of our community.”