Health care employers are rolling into St. Augustine on Wednesday, April 8, as St. Johns County turns First Coast Technical College into a one-stop shop for anyone eyeing a medical career. The Healthcare Career Expo runs from 3 to 7 p.m. at FCTC’s Building C conference center and pulls hiring managers, educators and workforce partners into the same room. County leaders say the event is a key move in growing homegrown talent as a wave of new medical projects comes online.
Event details and location
The expo is set for Building C’s Character Counts Conference Center on the First Coast Technical College campus at 2980 Collins Avenue in St. Augustine, with doors open from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Attendees will find tables staffed by hospitals, outpatient providers, training programs and workforce partners, all packed into the county’s go-to conference space on the FCTC grounds.
Register and who’s organizing
The fair is presented by St. Johns County in partnership with the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce, with vendors and employers registering through the Chamber’s event page while the public is invited to simply walk in. The Chamber listing names AdventHealth Palm Coast and Baptist Medical Center South as presenting sponsors and lists Scott Maynard as the exhibitor contact. For registration and exhibitor details, the official sign-up is posted with the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce.
Local hiring surge underpins the expo
County officials point out that builders and health systems have pulled more than $350 million in permits for new medical facilities during 2024 to 2025, a building spree they expect will generate more than 3,500 jobs. That kind of pipeline is exactly why the county is backing a face-to-face hiring event. Organizers are pitching the expo as a place for students and job seekers to hear about certification and degree pathways and to connect directly with employers. As outlined by St. Johns County, participating employers will include major local systems along with training partners.
Why employers are showing up
Some of the hiring heat is already here. UF Health’s Durbin Park campus is a multi-phase investment that regional planners expect to support roughly 2,000 jobs as hospital and outpatient services are built out. Projects like that are driving demand for entry-level and mid-skill roles such as certified nursing assistants, lab technicians and healthcare IT support, which the expo is designed to spotlight. Local workforce reporting has singled out the Durbin Park project and its job projections as a prime example of the pressure on the regional healthcare labor market.
County outreach and The SJC Report
The county has been touting the expo on its regular radio segment, The SJC Report, which airs every second Tuesday at 8 a.m. on WFOY 102.1 FM and is used to highlight county projects and events. County staff and Chamber representatives talked up the April 8 expo on a recent broadcast, and the county later shared that conversation on Facebook. According to St. Johns County, The SJC Report recaps county news for a live audience, and the Facebook post promoted the March segment that featured the expo.
How to take part
Registration and exhibitor signups run through the Chamber event page, while job seekers are encouraged to bring resumes and come ready to ask about training pathways, internships and entry-level openings. For more information and to register, head to the event listing with the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce.
