Statesboro High School’s Construction students are preparing to compete in the Southeast Georgia Skills Challenge on Nov. 2, at the Bulloch County Agricultural Complex.
Hosted by the Associated General Contractors of Georgia, Inc. and area contractors, this is the second year that more than 200 students from 18 area high schools will return to Statesboro to showcase and compete in eight different construction skill challenges. The students have learned these skills in their respective schools’ Architecture & Construction Career Pathway courses which are part of their school districts’ Career Technical & Agricultural Education programs. The Ag Complex’s arena will be filled with these skill challenge stations: framing, masonry, blueprint reading, plumbing, electrical wiring, and roofing.
The event also provides students practice as they prepare to compete in the regional SkillsUSA events in January. Winners of those regional events participate in the state SkillsUSA competition in late March at the Georgia World Congress Center.
Ace Electric, Inc.; Choate Construction Company; and West Construction Company are not only co-hosts for this area’s Skills Challenge, but the companies frequently partner with Construction teachers, like Statesboro High’s Josh Hall, to be industry advisors and provide learning experiences for students throughout the year.
“AGC Georgia’s Skills Challenge allows our students to demonstrate their abilities to the industry in a hands-on and real-world environment,” said Hall. “The experience is incredible to watch because our students can showcase their talents to the industry in which they aim to work. We are thankful to AGC Georgia for creating an experience that our students will remember for the rest of their lives.”
AGC Georgia CEO Mike Dunham believes that events like this create an environment where students who are interested in construction trades can transform what they’ve learned in the classroom and demonstrate their aptitude in a competition setting.
“In addition to showing our competitors what it’s like to work in a real-life setting, we aim to continue to enhance the construction industry’s talent pipeline in Georgia,” said Dunham.
Construction students from the following schools are scheduled to compete in the Southeast Georgia Skills Challenge: Camden County High School, East Laurens High School, Golden Isles College & Career Academy, Lee County High School, Liberty College and Career Academy, Liberty County High School, Madison County High School, Savannah High School, Statesboro High School, Thomson High School, Toombs County High School, Vidalia High School, Ware County High School, Wayne County High School, West Laurens High School, Wheeler County High School, Windsor Forest High School, and Woodville Tompkins High School.
Along with the more than 200 competitors who will attend this year’s event hundreds more students will attend as observers to learn the process in hopes of competing in future years. Local industry companies provide the volunteer judges for each of the skills competitions, as well as the volunteers who offer hands-on activities for student observers. These activities help students become more familiar with specific construction trades. The Bulloch County event is one of a series of seven Skills Challenges across the state that will host approximately 2,000 student competitors and student observers from 96 schools throughout Georgia.
