by Doug Schmitt
BusinessSchools.com Staff Writer
September 27, 2006
Located on the Atlantic Coast, Jacksonville is a major transportation and distribution hub for the southeast and it's location on the St. John's River has earned the city the nickname the “River City”. In addition to a healthy economy, Jacksonville offers a wide variety of activities and attractions to residents including fabulous restaurants, impressive galleries, professional sports teams, and beaches considered to be the cleanest in the southeast. The Jacksonville metropolitan area is growing at a rapid rate, with a population that grew in excess of 20% during the 1990s. The current population is 1.22 million and continues to grow with no signs of stopping anytime soon.
Employment and Internships
While Jacksonville leads Florida in the logistics industry, the city's economy extremely diverse and balanced among transportation, financial services, distribution, information services, biomedical technology, consumer goods, and manufacturing in addition to other industries. Companies with operations in Jacksonville include CSX Transportation, Winn-Dixie, Bank of America, TNT Logistics, Gate Petroleum, and Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Florida.
According to the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation, the job outlook for business and financial occupations in Jacksonville is excellent through 2013. Marketing and human resource managers will see 3.12% more jobs annually; operations specialties managers expect 2.24% new jobs annually; business and financial operations occupations anticipate 2.42% additional jobs yearly; business operations specialists will see 2.56% more annual opportunities; and all other business and management occupations will experience 1.41% new jobs each year.
Education
Jacksonville is full of educational opportunities for business students to take advantage of. One such opportunity waits at the University of North Florida Coggin College of Business. Offering students undergraduate and graduate studies, the university offers specialties including Accounting, Banking, Economics, Finance, International Business, and Logistics.
Other opportunities exist with the Florida Technical College – Jacksonville Campus, offers degrees in Business Administration and Management.
Financial Aid
Business students in Jacksonville have several options for financial aid. Some of these are private, institutional, and government grants and loans. Examples include the Pell Grant, the Federal Stafford loan, and the Perkins loan. These can be applied for by completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
A more traditional source of funding is scholarships, some or which are available nationally and some of which are only available to students in and around Jacksonville. A great example is the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program. The program is for Florida residents, attending school full time, and awards are made based on academic merit. There are three different awards, the Florida Academic Scholars Award which pays 100% of tuition costs, and the Florida Medallion Scholars and Gold Seal Vocational Scholars Awards which each pay 75% of tuition costs.
Summary
Jacksonville has a prosperous, diversified economy which promises many future opportunities for students and graduates. In addition, the city is culturally diverse with pleasant weather and plenty of activities to take part in. These factors make Jacksonville an excellent place for business students to attend school.
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