A Memphis plan started in Florida of all places.

In January 2021, members of the Chamber’s Chairmen’s Circle visited an accelerated skills training program at Valencia Community College in Orlando. That visit was the catalyst, Amity Schuyler said.

“That visit is where it all started,” she said.

On Thursday, the Greater Memphis Chamber announced a new 104,000-square-foot workforce development training facility at 3230 Jackson Ave.

“For years, we’ve known that the key to upskilling our region’s workforce is getting all our resources under one roof,” Greater Memphis Chamber President and CEO Ted Townsend said in a statement. “I’m excited to announce that we now have a home for this center, which will let anyone in our community walk through our doors and receive the training and wraparound services they need to transform their lives. This center will let Memphians qualify for high-quality jobs in weeks instead of years.

“Thanks to the generosity of the Belz family and our Chairman’s Circle, we’ve already raised $2 million for this innovative training center and expect to start renovations in early 2024.”

The announcement came during the Chamber’s 23rd annual Chairman's Luncheon. The new facility is expected to help more than 1,000 workers gain certification and training through accelerated accredited programs. The center is being tentatively named the Prosper Memphis Accelerated Training Center.

Schuyler is the chief innovation chief innovation officer and senior vice president of workforce development for the Memphis Chamber. The new facility is expected to be a key part in bridging gaps in the Memphis workforce, she said.

“Workforce development is a critical part to economic development,” Schuyler said. “For too long we’ve talked about it as a social service (not as economic development).”

Schuyler said one of the Chamber’s Chairmen Circle members Ron Belz from Belz Enterprises told them about a warehouse facility they had at Jackson Avenue. That connection led to the Chamber securing the building and building partnerships with other notable local institutions such as the University of Memphis to partner with them on the new facility.

Prosper Memphis Accelerated Training Center amenities

• 17,240-square-foot American Jobs Center

• 21,000-square-foot Goodwill Exel Center (an adult high school)

• 4,824-square-foot drop-in daycare

• 7,553 square feet of retail/tenant space

• 7,670 square feet of common area

• 3,897-square-foot WFMS common area

• Shower/laundry facilities

• Meeting/flex space for workforce training.

Construction on the center is expected to begin in early 2024, with a planned opening in mid-2024. Schuyler said the building is a shell and largely requires tenant improvement work, not a complete renovation. The estimated cost of construction is $15 million, she said.

Once complete the building will include a training facility, a jobs center and a daycare center. (YMCA is partnering with the Chamber to operate the daycare center). The building is also located on a bus line, but other modes of transportation aid are also being discussed, Schuyler said.

"Systems like that are needed. We're aware of the lack of child care in the community," Townsend said. He added that the site is designed to be a one-stop for students and adults. The amenities provided are there to help eliminate socio-economic barriers in the way of anyone looking to pursue further education and training opportunities.

GREATER MEMPHIS CHAMBER: Why Memphis Chamber's Gwyn Fisher is bullish on economic development in the city

A 12,000-square-foot space on the upper floor of the building will be the last portion of the site to be developed, with plans to utilize that area as a maker’s space, she said. Memphis-based LRK is the architect for the project.

The center is expected to be budget neutral, reinvesting cashflow from the center into its workforce training programs.

Why a workforce development center in Memphis?

The center is part of the Chamber's ongoing Prosper Memphis 2030 initiative, which aims to help create 50,000 new jobs in Memphis by 2030.

According to a Memphis Chamber report, 55% of Shelby County residents have some or no college degree. In nearby DeSoto and Fayette counties that figure is 58% and 59%, respectively. Diving deeper into that data report, about 28% of Shelby County residents' have a high school diploma.

For Schuyler, the advantage of the center not only allows residents within the Memphis metro to have access to vocational training as adults, but also creates a direct pathway for them to high-quality paying jobs in the region.

For operations such as Ford's $5.6 billion BlueOval City investment in Stanton, the need for a trained workforce is increasing in the region. The center provides an access point for residents with the amenities on site for working families, Schuyler said. The aim is to help provide adults an education outlet for those who want to learn new skills or have a pathway into the labor force that has, otherwise, been restricted.

According to the Chamber report, improving hourly wages from minimum wage to $18 would have a $2.11 billion impact on the gross domestic product and social savings over the course of 10 years, including the creation of 12,500 new jobs.

MANE STREET MEMPHIS: Memphis Stone & Gravel sold; Northside Square breaks ground

How does the training work?

The facility will offer accelerated skills training programs, Schuyler said. Students will be able to earn industry-recognized training and necessary accreditation for their respective fields. Programs range from four to 24 weeks, she said.

For the first two years the facility will look to train 600 students, annually. After, the goal is to train more than 1,000 students each year, she said. A grant from the University of Memphis will help pay for the tuition students. The Chamber is also looking into Pell Grant assistance for future students.

The tuition and equipment funding is provided from University of Memphis via the $21.5 million Good Jobs grant. The Workforce Mid-South was awarded the grant funding in September 2022 and was later transferred to the University in August 2023. In November, the university announced its Upskill Mid-South initiative to help create economic mobility for adults and young adults within West Tennessee, North Mississippi and East Arkansas.

The new facility is an example of a larger role the Chamber is carving out for itself in workforce development initiatives. In November, the Chamber took over as  interim fiscal agent and administrator for the Greater Memphis Workforce Development Board.

Neil Strebig is a journalist with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at neil.strebig@commercialappeal.com, 901-426-0679 or via X/Twitter,@neilStrebig

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Chamber opening new workforce development training center