Local longshoremen’s union awards more than $30,000 in scholarships to area students
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- Local longshoremen’s union awards more than $30,000 in scholarships to area students
Local 1408 of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) today awarded $30,000 in scholarships to 28 area high school seniors and college students. ILA 1408 is a labor union representing many of the longshoremen and dock workers employed at JAXPORT’s cargo terminals.
Applicants submitted essays discussing the economic benefits and jobs the Jacksonville Harbor Deepening Project will bring to the region’s economy.
Scholarship recipient Jason Chen is a graduate of Ridgeview High School in Clay County and will be attending Cornell University. His top-scoring essay focused on how a deeper river will have a positive ripple effect on communities throughout Northeast Florida.
“Increasing the number of jobs in Jacksonville also increases opportunities for the surrounding areas, including my own community of Green Cove Springs,” he wrote.
“A skilled workforce is one of the advantages we use to attract top companies to do business in Jacksonville,” said JAXPORT CEO Eric Green. “I applaud the ILA for investing in these future leaders and helping ensure the region’s continued economic vitality and competitiveness.”
Established in 1995, the ILA scholarship program has awarded more than 950 scholarships totaling more than three quarters of a million dollars.