- A long-time construction teacher is pairing local high school students with jobs after graduation.
- Bainbridge High School students are bridging gaps in staffing shortages in the construction industry.
- Watch the video for a tour of their workshop.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Students are rolling up their sleeves ready to work with their hands.
High school senior Bradley Marshburn says he has dreams of pursuing a career as an engineer.
"It's always been one of my interests,” Bradley Marshburn, senior at Bainbridge High School. “I like being hands-on building things and being able to work with other people."
Marshburn said it feels like accomplishing his goal is right at his fingertips.
"It's really different being in a classroom and reading out of a book [compared] to being in here and doing things hands on. You kind of get the fee for what it's going to be like and whether you want to do it or not,” said Marshburn.
Some students said they're still deciding if a career in the construction field is the right path for their future. But students participating in Greg Harrell's class tell me they plan to use what they learn in their everyday life.
"It used to be that everyone was going to college and if you didn't go to college you would be flipping burgers,” according to Greg Harrell, long time construction teacher for Bainbridge High School.
Harrell said the state of Georgia is seeing a shortage of available construction workers.
Harrell notes he's seeing a shift in student's interest turning to trade fields.
"My students leave my class and my program making more than people with college degrees in a lot of cases,” said Harrell.
I checked with the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Their data shows the median annual wage for construction jobs was $50,570 in May 2022.
That's higher than the median annual wage for all occupations of $46,310.
But for Harrell's students the education they get here is about more than just the money.
"Say your table breaks at home or something like that.. I can fix it like a handyman,” said Bainbridge highschool senior Brody Miller.
Taking what they learn in the classroom ready to fix whatever challenge comes their way.
Mr. Harrell said even after helping more than 600 students find employment he still loves hearing success stories from past students.
